JARICA WALSH, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

Jarica Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist from Oklahoma. She was born in Pawhuska, OK and is a proud member of the Osage Nation. Walsh obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. Her studies centered on Filmmaking, with a later focus in Ceramic design. She maintains a studio in the Paseo Arts District, and regularly shows her artwork in Oklahoma and regionally. She works for the Oklahoma Arts Council as the Director of Art in Public Places and previously worked as the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Jarica’s previous residency experience includes a residency at OCU School of Art, where she held workshops and maintained regularly open studio hours. Her art practice seeks a balance and harmony of shape and pattern, reflecting our connection to the earth and the universe. Walsh is motivated by the core principles of optimism, appreciation, and inclusion. These concepts are driving forces across her artistic practice.

For her residency, Jarica created a new body of work, Conversations with Trees. The artistic concept begins with the notion of the personhood of trees. This belief is fundamental to the creation of the work, and the interaction with the public. Trees are as individual as humans, communicate with language, and care for their family members as well as their community. Walsh believes in the importance of recognizing this in order to influence people to demonstrate more concern for trees and plants.