Creativity in contrast

A Montana human rights group had 4,100 reasons to transform hate into art

Creativity takes many forms. In 2004, a defecting white supremacist leader in Montana approached the Montana Human Rights Network for assistance to quietly relocate. In exchange for $300, the man provided the keys to a storage locker containing 4,100 volumes of propaganda from The Creativity Movement, a white supremacist religion founded in the 1970s. 

With a police escort, the human rights group loaded the literature into a U-Haul truck and relocated it to Helena, Mont. The network invited artists to reclaim the meaning of creativity by transforming the books’ messages of hate. The result of this project, “Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate,” comes to Living Arts in January. Curator Katie Knight recently visited Living Arts for “Transform Hate,” a public workshop to engage and mobilize Tulsans in the lead-up to the exhibition. 

Knight said areas of the northwestern U.S. have become a stronghold for extremism. 

“White supremacists had the idea that Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington—because they are lightly populated and there is not a strong minority presence—they can come there and develop a population base and run the show,” she said. 

Acknowledging Tulsa’s own troubling record of race relations, Knight encouraged Tulsans to initiate creative, compassionate dialogue about our city’s sore spots. 

“Not everybody knows how to facilitate difficult conversations—painful subjects,” Knight said. “Not everybody knows how to create art, but if you get together with others, something will come out of it.”

At the workshop, Knight also showed some of the Speaking Volumes works on a projector. One artist turned a book’s pages into thousands of peace cranes. Another knitted hats for the literature to wear. Others painted the bound pages. Although the artists were not from Oklahoma, some of the subject matter was. Artist Robbie McClaran submitted a photograph of Timothy McVey, who was inspired by white supremacist readings before taking 168 lives in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Two works use the image of Laura Nelson, an African American who was raped and lynched by a mob near Okemah in 1911.  

To compliment Speaking Volumes, local artist Beverly Wissen is curating a parallel exhibit called “Transform Hate,” which will include a community pop-up library installation. Shelves in the west gallery space will hold book creations from local artists, students and other community members. All are invited to submit entries.

The physical location of the exhibit is symbolic, Wissen said; “We are right here in such a lovely little spot in between north Tulsa and south Tulsa and communities that cross the threshold of the door here.” 

For related workshops and more information, visit livingarts.org. 

ART HAPPENINGS

GO LOCAL FOR LANIER // This all-local art, music and food truck festival raises funds for Lanier Elementary. Donations of school supplies are encouraged // 9/27, 10-5 p.m.; East Side Christian Church; 1438 Indianapolis Ave.; 918-744-1377

MIX // Philbrook’s annual Young Masters Society fundraiser takes place at Cain’s. Music and mixed drinks will rule the night, and the top bartender will be named 2014’s best “MIX-ologist.” Tickets start at $100, order at Philbrook.org // 9/27, 7 p.m.; Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main Street 

WEAVES OF THE EARTH // Surrealist painter Hillary Le uses juxtaposition to convey messages about sustainability and humans’ impact on the Earth // through September; TAC Gallery; 9 East M.B. Brady Street; 918-592-0041