Art in the New Age with Objets Trouvés

Like its name, Objets Trouvés has a distinct elegance and sparks curiosity in everyone who has had the opportunity to look through the window or visit the space. Every art piece in the gallery, which has recently changed locations, has been personally and carefully chosen by the owner and director, Susan McCalmont. Objets Trouvés holds true to its meaning, "found objects," offering an eclectic variety of both new and old art.

Art has been a central part of McCalmont’s life. She comes from a family of artists where art in all its forms has been expressed and celebrated, so it’s no surprise that her passion has guided her professional career. Here, we chat with McCalmont about her vision behind Objets Trouvés, changes in the industry, and what art means to her. 

What was your motivation for starting Objets Trouvés? 

For a big part of my career, I was involved in a more theoretical aspect of the arts, by helping found Creative Oklahoma and through my involvement with The Kirkpatrick Foundation. For the next chapter in my career, I wanted to do something more tangible, where I could meet people again and be able to make that connection between artists and individuals who were curious about art. 

Tell us about the vision behind the gallery. 

The idea emerged to have proof of concept—a small space with a big vision. I didn't want to seem like just another gallery. I wanted to be a place of new discoveries by mixing old and new art, a place to build an art community where artists could connect and where buyers would get the opportunity to know more, learn and even meet the artists behind the piece they purchased.

Tell us about Objets Trouvés new location. 

We reopened our previous location about two months ago, and we started with one day a week. We then went to three days a week for a few hours, and people started to rediscover us, but we could only have two people at a time at the space. About a month ago, I talked to one of the owners at Gordon Stuart, and they suggested we bring some of our paintings into the store. So, we brought seven paintings and the receptivity from their customers was so great. When the opportunity came, we practically tripled the space we had at our previous location. Now we are in what used to the Christian Dior boutique. People can now come to our gallery or come in through Gordon Stuart and enjoy both spaces. 

Times like these have forced us all to think creatively. Have you been able to implement something new?

I saw the opportunity to have conversations between artists and collectors. We also had exhibition openings. We utilized Will Rogers Theatre across the street for more extensive galleries, food receptions, and artist talks, which worked very well until March. We quickly had to adapt and think creatively. We opened an exhibition called Figurations, which is about interpreting the human face and figure while pushing the limits of three-dimensional form. Still, we had to close down the day after. I knew all along that we had to have more of a digital presence than just the website, so we used a platform to create an online exhibition for Figurations. 

I still wanted to keep the camaraderie that we had managed to build between artists. So, every Friday we started having Zoom conversations for one hour. We started just with Objets Trouvés artists, but quickly it went way beyond that. People started inviting their friends, I started asking some of my international contacts, and very soon, we had over 40 people on the call. It went from artists talking to one another to artists presenting their work. 

At that time, I realized that we were creating a community of artists and a community of collectors. We now have artists from the [the country of] Georgia, France, The Netherlands, and Belgium, and we have inquiries from Iceland and other countries. It proves that human connectivity is stronger now than if we had been operating business as usual. 

What have you discovered throughout your search for antique art? 

My background is in art history, so it is always interesting to see how an art piece was created based on the time period. In every civilization, the artists, the poets, the musicians, and the writers interpret where society was at a certain point in history, and it’s very interesting to go back in time and revisit. 

I found that in estate sales, a lot of people were discarding unique original art, not knowing what they had. Once I went to an estate sale, and I saw a painting that intrigued me. It was a landscape that had been identified as a Dutch painting, but I knew it was not because of the use of color. I thought it was a 19th century American landscaping, and it seemed to be a George Pearse Ennis, but I wasn’t sure. I bought the painting and took it to an expert to have it cleaned. He was able to find the signature and authenticated it as a real George Pearse Ennis painting. That was my Antique Roadshow moment. 

What does art mean to you?

It's wonderful to see the great work of Oklahoma Contemporary and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and their immense contribution to arts and culture in Oklahoma City. Art is a reflection of the artist's soul. You can have a blank sheet of paper, a mound of clay, a mound of marble, or whatever the medium might be, and that first line, that first mark, is a reflection of the artist's soul. That is why I believe artists are some of the bravest people because it’s hard to expose who you are and how you feel to the rest of the world. Art is about humanity. It’s about the creative spirit that resides in all of us. It just so happens that some people have an extraordinary gift to portray that creativity visually. 

What kind of art can we expect to see at Objets Trouvés? 

The gallery has works of a variety of formats, media, and styles, from classic art to modern and minimalist pieces with impeccable precision. We have art from all over the world. Art is truly an international language, and I hope that people can experience that when they visit the gallery. My intention is for people to enjoy art, and, if they are thinking about collecting art, for this to be a place where they can start learning and appreciating art; because of that, we have a variety of price points. For those who have experience collecting art, I hope that Objets Trouvés is a place for new discoveries, just like our name. 

You can visit Objets Trouvés’ new location at 6504 N Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73116

photos by Kennon Bryce