Detail of page in "The 48 Hour Project" by Claire Putney, ink, graphite, colored pencil. Photo by Terry Telford

Claire Putney, curator of “The 48 Hour Project – Weston and Emmaline: The Pump Jack Prophecy.” Photo by Terry Telford

Detail of page by Alison Beitzell, acrylic. Photo by Terry Telford

By Terry Telford

A cockroach makes an unlikely hero in any tale, but a new collaborative art exhibit opening at Surface Gallery this Friday is set to convince viewers that the insect’s fortitude and invincibility are the perfect traits for a new mythology.

“The 48 Hour Project — Weston and Emmaline: The Pump Jack Prophecy,” curated by Claire Putney, is the culmination of the efforts of 27 artists, mostly unknown to each other, who were challenged to create the next step in an evolving story. Using only creativity in their chosen art medium, an 11-by-14-inch wood palette as a base, and a time constraint of 48 hours, each artist relied on the previous “pages” of the tale to choose the direction it would unfold. Although each piece of artwork can stand alone, together the 27 pieces of the completed visual tale create an exhibit which provokes viewers to interpret the artists’ wildly diverse narrative.

Vikki Cruz, co-owner of Surface Gallery, said Putney approached her and her business partner Yvonne Cavanagh last year about bringing the project to their gallery. The pair, who are long-time friends of Putney, were excited.

“This is a way to open up the space to a lot of local artists and give the reins over to Claire,” Cruz said.

As all other exhibits have been curated by Cruz and Cavanagh, Putney becomes the first “outside” curator at Surface Gallery.

Putney grew up in Bakersfield and is returning after years spent in San Diego and Washington State. She directed the complex web of artists and began the progressive story by creating the first page from which inspiration was drawn: A pastel illustrated map with an inset detail of a large cockroach straddling a grasshopper-like oil pumpjack.

From that starting point, the remaining 26 artists, including painters, photographers, sculptors, graphic designers and other visual artists, took off in directions ranging from the ethereal to the apocalyptic.

Says Putney, “We’ve created a narrative that has no particular script at all.”

And yes, that includes cockroaches. Lots and lots of cockroaches. But don’t let that detail stop you from taking in this complex, original exhibit and offering your own unique interpretation of “Weston and Emmaline.”

Seeing The 48 Hour Project as, “a great opportunity to get together artists from all different backgrounds, different experiences and different genres,” Putney also says the exhibit is a way of celebrating Bakersfield.

Many of the artists featured in The 48 Hour Project will meet for the first time at the project’s opening reception from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 at Surface Gallery, 1703 20^th Street. Genavieve Anderson, a pianist new to Bakersfield, will be performing from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 323-4090 or visit www.surface-gallery.blogspot.com.