At Edmond Fine Arts, small works have a big payoff.
On May 7, the organization’s annual 5×5 Show & Sale returns with its familiar promise: hundreds of original works, each measuring just five inches square, each priced at $55 — and together they add up to something big. What began as a fundraiser has evolved into a fast-moving, high-energy evening.
Artists from across Oklahoma donate small-scale works — landscapes, abstracts, florals, animals, and everything in between — to support Edmond Fine Arts programming. The results are anything but predictable. Serious work and playful pieces coexist without hierarchy, and all styles of art are on display. The first-come, first-served event is part gallery opening, part treasure hunt.
“While the works may be small in size, their impact is truly significant,” said Executive Director Shannon Price. That impact extends well beyond the gallery walls. Proceeds from the event support year-round programming — arts education, outreach initiatives, and free public events — making each purchase a direct investment in the local creative ecosystem.
For those looking to get a jump on the crowd, VIP access offers an early preview and first opportunity to purchase. For everyone else, arriving early is part of the ritual. The line that forms outside has become part of the event and signals just how deeply it resonates with the community.
This year’s event is presented by First Liberty Bank, with hospitality by WanderFolk Distillery, which will provide handcrafted cocktails throughout the evening.
Running concurrently with the 5×5 Show is the gallery’s May opening, “BOLD: 4 Letters, 4 Artists.” This group exhibition features Laurel Payne, Ashley Showalter, Whitney VanHeuvelen, and Jason Wilson. It takes a single word –– bold — and stretches it across four distinct practices, resulting in a collection that is less about uniformity and more about interpretation.
For Showalter, boldness is rooted in instinct. “This body of work required me to lean into a state of play and curiosity,” she said. An abstract artist and mental health advocate, Showalter is self-taught. She has spent the past decade developing a distinctive style marked by bold color, intricate patterns, and strong black lines, using art as a tool for self-expression and wellness.
Jason Wilson’s interpretation traces back to something more inherited. Growing up in southeast Oklahoma, he watched his grandmother and great-grandmother quilt, an influence that continues to surface in his work today.
“I look for patterns in everything,” he said. “I bring forth bold creations based on the patterns that I see in the world.” In his paintings, repetition becomes structure, and structure becomes language.
Wilson is a retired Oklahoma art educator with more than 30 years of teaching experience. His precise, methodical painting process involves grid-based planning and refined masking techniques to create smooth, visually striking works. Inspired by patterns and optical illusions, his paintings are designed to engage and “trick” the eye.
Laurel Payne is a visual artist working primarily in watercolor, pen, and ink. Inspired by the environment and human connection, her work explores how experiences shape perception. She lives in Oklahoma City, where she also teaches middle school math.
For Payne, boldness is tied to place — specifically, the Oklahoma sky. Her work blends a sense of whimsy with a deeply rooted familiarity with the region’s weather.
“Growing up in Oklahoma, I had a healthy fear of storms,” she said. “As an adult, they fascinate and inspire me.” Her pieces draw a connection between storm systems and an unlikely counterpart: popcorn. Both, she notes, are defined by sudden transformation—something quiet that builds, then bursts. “Often weather forecasters refer to storms as ‘popping up’ or ‘popping.’ The sudden change from calm to metamorphosis brings together two things I love.”
Whitney VanHeu-velen is a creative director, educator, and artist whose work blends graphic design, craft, and fine art. She serves as an assistant professor at the University of Central Oklahoma.
“Exhibiting in a gallery is still a new experience for me,” she said. “For much of my career as a graphic designer, my focus has been on listening closely and translating clients’ needs into thoughtful visual solutions. Since returning to the classroom at the University of Central Oklahoma, I’ve felt a growing pull to explore my own voice through a blend of fine art and graphic design. That shift has been shaped not only by the exceptional facilities at the UCO School of Design but, most importantly, by the energy and curiosity of my students as they begin their own creative journeys.”
Her layered, laser-cut wood compositions explore depth, color, and memory, often reflecting themes of nostalgia, growth, and shared experience.
Together, the exhibition offers a reminder that boldness isn’t defined by a single aesthetic. It can be loud or subtle, structured or intuitive, grounded in memory or driven by experimentation.
Back in the main gallery, the 5×5 pieces also offer a bold proposition. Hundreds of works, each one small enough to hold in your hands, make up a much larger picture.
About The Exhibit: The 2026 5×5 Show & Sale and the May gallery opening showcasing “BOLD: 4 Letters, 4 Artists” will be held Thursday, May 7, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. Artwork will be available for purchase, with a portion of proceeds supporting Edmond Fine Arts’ year-round arts programming. The exhibition will be on display in the Edmond Fine Arts Gallery throughout the month of May. Gallery exhibits are free and open to the public Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit Edmond Fine Arts.
This article appears in 100 Years of Route 66.