A Creative Path Less Traveled
Most children love to create art but have a hard time believing they can pursue it professionally. Randy Marks was one of those kids, but his passion and curiosity helped him find a way to pursue his passion and ultimately help others do the same.
Raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Randy regarded art class in school as the highlight of his day. But despite a strong talent and love for creating, he decided to pursue a degree in Psychology after high school. Though his major focused on the sciences, his heart remained committed to the arts, and he attended as many art classes as possible while working towards his degree. After graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma, his artistic cravings led him to take graduate art classes and work in his cousins' stained-glass company. The experience in the glassworks studio was transformational and ultimately inspired Randy to commit to an extraordinary career path devoted to art.
Randy recalls the day when a ray of light sparked a moment of artistic clarity. He was cutting glass squares in the workshop when sunlight spilling through the window reflected remarkably off a piece. The serendipitous moment inspired him to want to harness the effect with an artistic lamp design. After considering the concept for two years while working several creative jobs in New York, he returned to Oklahoma with a clear plan to start a company where he worked with talented designers and artists, including Jason Wortham, Klint Schor, and Danny Theisen, and Ernie Craig. The company was called Independent Vision, and quickly it grew to be a supplier of custom designs for notable companies such as Nieman Marcus, Tiffany's, and Disney. But after ten years of designing a product line and one-of-a-kind illuminations, Randy's curiosity towards other mediums led him to explore the art of sculpting.
Randy Marks
Randy applied the design principles he learned to create lamps to weld three-dimensional steel sculptures within sculptures. Before long, he was immersed in the supportive Oklahoma City art community and securing commissions that established him as a well-known sculpture artist. But after five years, another unforgettable experience inspired him to realize it was time for another change. While hiking the majestic Big Horn Mountain during an artist residency in Wyoming, the beauty of the natural landscape made Randy realize he needed to spend more of his life outside.
He decided to take a permaculture course in Santa Fe and a cob building course on the coast of Oregon. Both masteries were hands-on crafts that allowed Randy to work outside, but he did not know where the agricultural and home-building education would lead. After completing the intensive courses, he and his partner, Sharon, moved to Portland, Oregon, to consider how his experience and curiosity would forge the next step in his creative career. Sharon found an appealing Master's program for sustainable landscape design at the Conway School in Western Massachusetts. So, the adventurous pair packed their things and traveled to the East Coast, where Randy earned a master's degree in landscape design. Shortly after, they returned to Oklahoma City to be close to family and build a company focused on sustainable landscape design. Randy enjoyed being outdoors and working with his hands, but he realized strategic planning was what he loved most about the process. This new awareness led him to his current position, ultimately blending every bit of his knowledge and artistic experience to bring cherished art from diverse global artists to the City he loves.
As the Oklahoma City Public Art Project Manager, Randy is in charge of developing and commissioning city-wide art projects(excluding streets and sidewalks) funded by 1% of the construction budget for any particular project. Many cities across the country allocate between .5% and 2% of a project development budget to public art. So the 1% that Oklahoma City earmarks is a healthy commitment from the City. The thriving Oklahoma City art program Randy steers manages dozens of city art projects. No matter what the project is, Randy's extensive art background gives him the unique ability to understand all aspects of the process and the stakeholders responsible for bringing the project to life.
The entire project development takes a year from the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) draft to the final project selection. The process begins when Randy discusses what they feel is appropriate for the space with the owning department, such as Parks, MAPS, or other City departments. Next, Randy and his team draft and publish an RFQ describing the project and the confirmed budget. Artists then submit their qualifications based on past projects, and a selection committee picks three finalists to submit designs. Finally, the chosen artists present their ideas from which the committee selects the winner.
As a former working artist, Randy has a lot of sympathy for those trying to make a living winning commissions and producing art. "I want to pass on what I've learned to help them be the best at what they do," states Randy. It makes perfect sense that Randy wants to help the artists be successful because their work elevates the City's beauty and its commitment to developing future art and culture in Oklahoma. Randy states, "When you love something, you lavish care and beauty towards it. The art is doing this for the City."
Randy's position is vital to artists like Objets Trouvés consigned sculptor Marko Kratohvil because he helps zero in on precisely the direction of a piece. Many considerations must be made during the development process because public art is site-specific. Marko states, "The work must consider the setting, surrounding architecture, and space because some spaces demand a certain type of intervention to stage the piece." Size and the material are also crucial topics of discussion to ensure the piece fits within its location and does not get lost in the environment. Finally, Marko believes the work must always express a literal or aesthetic public message because it is a public work of art connected to the surrounding City.
Left photo : Swept by Randy Marks
Middle photo : Movement by Michael Hoffner for the James E Stewart Golf Clubhouse
Right photo : The Conversation by Randy Marks
Randy feels honored to work with people who put their passion into action to develop and grow public art in Oklahoma City. Robbie Kienzle, Arts Liaison & Program Planner at the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, has been the driving force to position Oklahoma City as a national leader in public art commissions. Randy states, "She did this on her own before she hired me, and she has a big encompassing vision that is amazing. Robbie can see a project at a 40,000-foot level and all the specific details." Randy has visited and lived in several cities around the country, so he understands the importance of both public and private art commissions. The cities that do not prioritize cultivating artistic talent and developing art in public spaces feel like they lack a sense of character, uniqueness, and compassion for the place.
Randy has witnessed firsthand how his fulfilling work has impacted both the private and public communities. "The private sector sees what the public works are doing, and they say they want to do it too," states Randy. Private developers are now allocating their resources to commission art to enhance the environment because they see how it improves the aesthetic and impacts the people there. Randy hopes the public art he helps bring to the City creates an intimate and unforgettable experience for the public. "We want the pieces to make you stop and think of something outside yourself," states Randy. "The beauty of nature takes you from your personal experience and makes it exist on a larger stage." Even though not every piece of public art will evoke the same experience for everyone, Randy hopes that the work will at least make people pause, think, and absorb the feeling.
The moments that Randy aspires to create with public art connect harmoniously to moments that charted his creative path. For many, the unexpected twists and turns challenge a childhood desire to pursue an artistic career. Fortunately, Randy's tenacious curiosity and openness to discovering the unknown allowed him to listen to his longing to create and freely follow. As a result, he is now in a position where he can bring everything learned from his journey to his work and bestow valuable knowledge to other working artists as he once was. But Randy is not done creating his art. His artistic interests have him exploring a new body of two-dimensional work that he is excited to see where it will take him next.
Please visit the Oklahoma City Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs website to learn more about Randy Marks.
