MAINSITE CONTEMPORARY ART
Norman Arts Council operates and maintains its offices inside MAINSITE Contemporary Art. It hosts numerous exhibitions, events, workshops, performances, concerts and more throughout the year. It's also available as a venue for event rentals, including meetings, receptions, weddings and more.
MAINSITE Contemporary Art — located at 122 E. Main, Norman — is open 10 am - 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday during exhibition windows. The gallery is closed to the public for changeover and installation between exhibitions.
Current Exhibitions
2026 OU MFA
Thesis Exhibition
Friday, April 10 through Friday, April 17
Opening Reception: Friday, April 10 6-9 PM
Featuring the graduate school work of MFA candidates Lori Bacigalupi, Katherine Gaff, Matthew Gilliland, Emma Moorman, and Haley Prestifilippo.
Reflexion
Chase Spivey
Friday April 10, through Friday May 8
Opening Reception: Friday, April 10 6-9 PM
Artist Statement
Reflexion is a large-scale interactive installation of over 2,500 slightly convex 2.5 inch circular mirrors mounted across the walls of the Library Gallery at MAINSITE Contemporary Art. Each mirror can pivot slightly, allowing the viewer's reflection and the surrounding environment to shift in response to interaction. The work challenges traditional gallery viewing by making the viewer's presence an essential and evolving part of the piece. Drawing from geometric abstraction, kinetic art, and participatory installation traditions, Reflexion turns the gallery into a perceptual instrument exploring themes of perception, identity, surveillance, and transformation.
For questions contact: chasespivey@gmail.com
Artist Bio
Chase Spivey is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and musician based in Norman, Oklahoma. His visual art blends precision, intuition, and bold color to explore themes of connection and transformation, informed by a personal journey of resilience after being estranged from his family at 18 and finding his footing through Norman's creative community.
Chase co-created Universe City cooperative art space in 2008 and co-curated the Form+Function Lab gallery from 2009 to 2010. His public works include the Geometric Bloom mural at Andrews Park, the first project funded by Norman's Public Arts Board. A University of Oklahoma graduate in Film and Media Studies, he founded Spivey Media (now Uncanny Media) in 2018, earning Addy Awards for commercial video and national recognition for the comedy web series Welcome to the Ranchero. He has served on the Norman Arts Council, founded the Norman Film Festival, and chaired photo and video production for the Norman Music Festival across multiple years. He credits his three daughters as a constant source of inspiration.
Exhibition Proposals
THE MAIN GALLERY IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS. THE LIBRARY GALLERY IS CURRENTLY ACCEPTING PROPOSALS, SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY.
The Main Gallery
The Norman Arts Council periodically opens submissions for MAINSITE Contemporary Art in the heart of the Walker Arts District | Downtown Norman. We have four exhibition slots available per year, each running for 6-8 weeks. We are not currently accepting proposals at this time. MAINSITE's main gallery is booked generally up to two years in advance. Future openings to the Main Gallery will be announced.
Gallery Highlights:
Beautiful contemporary space in renovated building over 100 years old
4,000 square feet of exhibition space
13.5 foot ceilings
Floor to ceiling glass front onto Main Street
Can be divided into 2-4 distinct exhibition spaces with moveable walls
Full time gallery staff on site Tuesday through Saturday
Projection capabilities
Staff to assist with install
Full use of Norman Arts Council PR and Mailing List for promotion of exhibit
The Library Gallery
Our Mission: The Library Gallery is a smaller space within MAINSITE Contemporary Art to exhibit experimental and cutting edge work from emerging artists or artists working at a smaller scale.
Call for Artists/Curators:
The Library Gallery is always accepting proposals from emerging artists and curators. We have an active and ongoing process of working with artists to collaborate and create the best fit exhibitions. The Library Gallery includes approximately 50 feet of exhibition space, including the office just off the main gallery. Exhibitions may be expanded out to include one wall of the foyer between the Main Gallery and Library Gallery and/or the gallery’s courtyard, depending on availability.
If you are interested in an exhibition at the Library Gallery of MAINSITE Contemporary Art, please email Travis Catalano at travis@normanarts.org with a fully written exhibition proposal, including an exhibition narrative, artist statement, CV, examples of previous work and any other relevant information.
Rent MAINSITE
MAINSITE Contemporary Art is the perfect venue for your event. The exquisite vibe and sophisticated look make it an extremely inviting environment for your guests. The art gallery creates a unique backdrop that allows you to decorate as little or as much as you would like to create the perfect setting. This would be an amazing space for holiday parties, business luncheons or dinners, graduation parties, executive meetings, baby showers, cocktail receptions, performances, pop-up shops and weddings.
The Space
The facility is a total of 2400 square feet, 1200 of which is on the gallery’s west side and 1200 square feet on the east side. The rental also includes access to the courtyard, library, restroom, kitchenette, parking behind the building for easy load-in and load-out, and a Norman Arts Council staff member to oversee the facility. It's conveniently located in Downtown Norman, Oklahoma.
Amenities
The rental of the space includes 50+ white contemporary chairs, 10 six-foot folding tables, 2 five-foot round tables, 2 small metal tables for indoor or outdoor use, 24 outdoor chairs, black leather furniture to create an intimate conversation area, and a built in sound system. There's also a baby grand piano onsite available for use with a small additional fee.
Rates
MAINSITE rents by the hour with a minimum of 3 hours, and rental time must include adequate set-up and clean-up time. Please contact us for pricing information and availability. Non-profit organizations are welcome to contact us for a special rate and discounts apply to half or full day rentals.
Catering
MAINSITE Contemporary Art has no costly catering restrictions or requirements. You can select your own private caterer, partner with a local restaurant or bring your own from home (though we are happy to help you arrange catering if you so desire).
Contact us
If you are interested in inquiring about rates, availability, or have other questions concerning renting MAINSITE for your event, please contact Cher Duncan at cher@normanarts.org, (405) 360-1162 or by submitting the form below: