Rediscovering the Oklahoma City Museum of Art

Art is the expression of life. Spring is when life blooms. Why not spend a day exploring the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to celebrate the arrival of spring?

This is exactly what one of my very best friends and I did recently. It was her first time visiting the downtown museum and my first time back in several years. The museum is filled with incredible artworks of all kinds: oil paintings, watercolors, inkjet prints, and even an immersive exhibit. We started on the first floor and made our way to the top floor as we toured. It went a little something like this:

Floor 1:

Chihuly Then and Now: The Collection at Twenty

This exhibit was one I remembered vividly from field trips as a kid, but with a twist. The collection was redesigned in the summer of 2022, adding in multiple new pieces never before seen in OKC. All of the glass pieces on display—old and new—were pieces that would make you stop and marvel. Each was full of artistic inspiration, displaying a vast array of color and reflection while also featuring the smallest of details, making the pieces mesmerizing to see.

Neodymium Reeds, a blown glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly in the Oklahoma City Museum of Art's permanent collection, now on display in the exhibit Chihuly Then and Now: The Collection at Twenty. Photo by Kiersten Stone

Floor 2:

Magnificent Beauty: Georgia O’Keeffe and the Art of the Flower

The Magnificent Beauty exhibit was one I was very much looking forward to, especially with it opening the day before visiting. It felt like the perfect spring kickoff. The one-room gallery features works by Georgia O’Keeffe paired with photographs from Imogen Cunningham. Each work of art depicts flowers, lilies in particular, through various mediums. The gallery in its floral, pastel vibe leaves you feeling like you’re breathing fresh air.

The 1939 oil painting White Bird of Paradise, by Georgia O'Keeffe, on display in the exhibit Magnificent Beauty: Georgia O'Keefe and the Art of the Flower. Photo by Kiersten Stone

Floor 3:

Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight

While I was very excited to see Georgia O’Keeffe’s work, the Preston Singletary exhibit was the one I couldn’t wait to experience. It is a beautiful, immersive exhibit. I had been wanting and waiting to see it since it opened in November, and it was nothing short of exceptional. The exhibit walks you through dark rooms filled with stunning light displays, intricate pieces of artwork, and coastal soundscapes. All of the artwork is set in order to tell the story of Raven, the giver of the sun, moon, and stars.

A few of many intricate glass busts in the temporary exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight. Photo by Kiersten stone

Apart from these main exhibits, the other gallery rooms were put to use displaying more pieces of art, as well as other collections. Some rooms have sculptures, others are filled with paintings. Each room in the museum transports your mind into a state of calming awe as you study the art.

Every time I visit OKCMOA, I feel like I learn something new about myself. This time in particular, I realized what a preference I have for oil paintings. I also discovered a new favorite artist for myself, Oscar Brousse Jacobsen.

In Morocco, an oil painting circa 1925, by the Swedish-born American painter Oscar Brousse Jacobson. Photo by Kiersten Stone

The next upcoming exhibit at the museum will be Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Designer which opens June 22. I could not be more excited to see this collection and I, for one, am planning to be there on opening day.

Written By

Kiersten Stone

Just a small town girl living out her city dreams, Kiersten Stone is the Research Editor for Oklahoma Today. Stone previously worked at a local newspaper and at her university’s student news organization before coming to work at the magazine. She loves the Sooner State and all it offers, from the city to the outdoors and the wildlife.