Cullen-Madison to Debut Senior Art Show May 8

OBU student Andrewblake Cullen-Madison will present his senior art show Friday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Art Annex on OBU's campus in Shawnee (located behind the Art Building). A reception honoring Cullen-Madison and his work will serve as the opening ceremony for the exhibit. The public is invited to attend the free event. His work will remain on display until the exhibit closes Friday, May 15.

Cullen-Madison's show titled, "Cooped Up," will be presented in two parts. The first section of the exhibit will feature pieces of Cullen-Madison's fine art, including ink drawings, paintings and charcoal drawings.

"This show means so much to me," Cullen-Madison said. "Cooped Up is an expression of some of the darker times I have experienced in my life, particularly during my time at OBU," he said.

The second section of his show will be devoted to a film he created, titled, "The Coop." In this section, visitors can view promotional material, cast posters, bits of performance art and the premier of a trailer for his film, which will begin at 8:30.

"My film brought me out of that place of darkness through the creative strength of both myself and the collaborative help of my cast and crew, without whom, there would be no film or escape from my dark place."

Cullen-Madison wanted to thank the faculty and staff for their contributions to his development at OBU.

"The faculty of both the English and the art departments has been essential to my continued growth as an artist and a storyteller. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the assistance of professor Julie Blackstone and professor Chris Owens. Without their encouragement, I do not think I would have been able to motivate myself enough to make this show a reality. I would also like to thank professor Corey Fuller for giving me the opportunity to start this project with his DVD assignment in raster graphics. There probably wouldn't be an actual film if it he didn't give me an opportunity. I also want to thank my advisor, professor Brent Newsom, and the rest of the English department. I have greatly enjoyed learning under each and every one of them and will treasure my tenure with the department for the rest of my life."

Cullen-Madison also took time to thank his best friend Miranda Sanders, director of post-production and assistant director of his film, for her contributions to his art.

"When I came here I had such huge dreams that really went nowhere. If it wasn't for her, I would have no way of knowing what to do with my love of art and story-telling. So, in retrospect, she is my greatest source of inspiration. She's my best friend and my life would be nowhere nearly as rich were it not for her."

Following graduation, he plans to pursue a second bachelor's degree in film and media studies from the University of Oklahoma.

"I want to be able to use stories through the visual media, whether that manifests itself through film, comic books, illustrated books or performance art, to make a difference in peoples' lives. I want to change the world for the better and use my art to be a platform for social justice and equality."