The Artus Enclave

The Artus Enclave

Take a tour of the unmistakably artistic Artus home, and see why Andy Artus refers to its style as “Mid-century Bohemian.”

 

Across the street from the majestic Oklahoma Judicial Center, in a Lincoln Terrace house made of rare Austin fossil rock with a magnificent view of the State Capitol, lives a family whose matriarch’s creative energy could easily fill the entire Capitol dome and then some.

The aforementioned Marilyn Artus, her husband Andy and sons Austin, 21, and Abraham, 19, had lived in OKC’s historic Gatewood neighborhood for years before discovering their current digs. Artus swears that the Gatewood house was done in a shabby chic style, which suited its 1926 construction date, but which is difficult to picture her inhabiting – especially after seeing this home.

 

A paper globe gets the Artus treatment: the morning of her home’s photo shoot, the artist decided this space in the living room/common area needed more. A paper globe now adorned with hand-lettered greetings swings merrily from the ceiling, mimicking the round shape of the rug below, the table and the two chairs – which are upholstered in celebrity faces, naturally.

 

The colorful, exuberant interior of the Lincoln Terrace house perfectly, almost precariously, straddles the line between sophisticated and wackadoo, and is filled with art, custom furnishings, thrift-store finds, vintage neon and colorful little odds and ends. Andy, a civil rights attorney, has dubbed the home’s style “Mid-century Bohemian,” and that’s a perfect description.

Marilyn, a full-time artist and a founder of the greatly acclaimed all-female art show and sale The Girlie Show, and Andy began their own story in the latter decades of the 20th century on a blind date. “We were set up by a girl who had a crush on Andy,” Artus says. “Our first date was at Liberty D’s in Norman. And that was it. I felt instantly at ease and comfortable.” The couple has been married for 26 years.

 

In the kitchen, a vintage 7-Up vending machine now serves as a beer cooler. The floor, formerly white tile, has been laid with Marmoleum, a period-appropriate and sustainable flooring material often used in public spaces such as New York City subway cars.

 

Stitching, sewing and the American flag are recurring techniques and themes in Artus’s artwork. “For me, stitching is a family heritage, from my mother and grandmother,” she says, adding, “I’m using the American flag as a vehicle for feminist exploration.” Visitors to Science Museum Oklahoma may recall seeing a huge flag she created for that space. She has also had work at Oklahoma City’s 21c Museum Hotel and the Gaylord-Pickens Museum. She is represented by a gallery in Nashville.

Artus is working currently on a massive project dealing with women’s suffrage and winning the right to vote. The exhibition, her largest, is taking her across the country: 17 trips to 36 states in just over 14 months. “Where it will end up is up in the air,” she says. “It will be done by the 2020 presidential election.”

 

Austin fossil rock surrounds the fireplace. In the dining room, the home’s original wood floors are topped by one of Artus’s elegantly wacky finds: a rug with a pattern of bicycles. A large piece by Norman artist Stuart Whitis anchors one side of the wall, and at the other side hangs a framed sketch by Artus’s grandfather, who was a cattle rancher.

 

Her studio occupies the lower level of the family home. It’s home to works-in-progress and supplies, including her late mother-in-law’s bead collection. “She made ornaments out of them, and when she died, I couldn’t let go of them,” Artus says. Thousands upon thousands of sparkly, colorful beads occupy jars and tubs, and Artus now adds a few to every flag she makes.

According to Marilyn, the Artus clan has found its forever home in Lincoln Terrace. “We love it here. I can’t imagine being anyplace else. We’re never leaving.”

 

The couple knocked out walls and took over a bedroom to create a larger, brighter master bath. The multi-colored tiles in the shower are shaped like cassette tapes, and a bright white, bean-shaped soaking tub is a great spot to escape the worries of the day. “This room was painted light blue, with burgundy tile, low sinks and a dark tub. I started every day pissed. Now, every day starts out with endless possibilities,” Artus says.