By Holly Ward
For the second year in a row, in collaboration with Pueblo Arts Alliance (PAA), Candace Oakley displayed her Raised by Wolves Scholarship Show.
The event opened on one of the Pueblo Arts Alliance’s First Fridays: April 7, 2023, in their Liminal Space Gallery, located at 107 S. Grand Ave. Visitors attended from 5 to 7 PM. With a “Gallery Open” sign outside of the main entrance, local art seers were welcomed by friendly faces and a table displaying cheese, crackers, grapes, and complimentary beverages.
Oakley has been a tenant at the Pueblo Art Alliance for three years.
“Raised by Wolves is an art show open to any artist to submit their work for sale and/ or exhibition. It is a show designed specifically to benefit a scholarship fund I started last year upon my own graduation through CSU Pueblo Foundation. The Oakley Family Scholarship Fund is awarded to hard-working mothers attending CSU Pueblo who demonstrate a financial need,” Oakley said.
According to the numerous signs posted around the gallery, “20% of all art sales go to our Scholarship Fund to help Moms attending CSU Pueblo working toward their 4-year degrees.”
The art show also graciously accepted scholarship donations. Last year for its debut exhibition, the Raised by Wolves event provided a scholarship for a single mother of two daughters. She is a senior in the Bachelor of Social Work program at CSU Pueblo. “Her goal is to continue on to the Master of Social Work program in the Fall of 2023 and work toward getting her LCSW,” said a small flyer laid out for others to read.
The gallery displayed numerous art mediums, including paintings, tapestry, ceramics, sculptures, needle felting, and clay. One art piece, “An Exercise in Keeping Up,” displayed a large white paper with ink designs, accompanied by a tablet showing a video of the artist creating the piece.
Oakley attended the art show and welcomed individuals as they walked through the one-floor space. She knew many attendees by name and introduced people to each other. She discussed her artwork and described her processes. Other artists also attended to talk about their artworks hanging on the walls.
“I think the show had a fantastic turnout Friday; both patrons and artists showed up to support PAA artists and funds. The feeling of unity and joy was abundant, and that is always a success,” Oakley said.
The gallery is open Monday through Friday during PAA business hours. Oakley plans to be there Sundays from 1 to 4 PM and is planning on some things to get more people in the door to see the art. The show will be up through the end of the month.
There was a lot of work to be done in preparation for the show, including the conception of the show, graphic design work, social media posts, and print advertising. Also, arranging for vendors, shopping for food and beverages, cleaning, and final detail work were all tasks for preparing for the opening reception, generally on the First Friday of the month.
“Throughout all this work, which for this show was done by myself with generous help and support from Katie Magby, I am also working on my own artwork contributions for the show,” Oakley said.
Oakley had artwork in the Raised by Wolves show. Her mother and son also had pieces in the show, adding to the show’s importance to Oakley.
“These shows provide a positive and safe gathering space for people to attend. Art helps to enrich and impact individual lives in the community, which leads to a more robust and overall beautiful, welcoming town,” Oakley said.
College students and other community members can become more involved in the Pueblo Arts Alliance by following them on social media. The PAA offers opportunities and posts about many additional options other businesses and organizations provide in Pueblo for both the public and artists. Their Instagram account is @puebloartsalliance.
One of the most important social media posts the Pueblo Arts Alliance and involved studios share are open calls for local artists to submit their artwork. This is how the Raised by Wolves Scholarship Show received many of its pieces.
For more information about the Raised by Wolves show and other work done by Oakley, people can follow her Instagram account @slowspace_studio.
