MEDIA ADVISORY: PHOTO/VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES
Contact: Jezy Gray, Content Creator and Editor
405 951 0000 | jgray@okcontemp.org
Media kit: okcontemp.org/launch
New Oklahoma Contemporary to open doors to public
Ribbon cutting begins 10 a.m. Friday; Grand Opening lasts all weekend
March 9, 2020 — This Friday, the new Oklahoma Contemporary opens the doors (at its new location at NW 11th and Broadway) to the public for the first time. Festivities begin with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Friday. The celebration will feature OKC dignitaries, including Mayor David Holt (who will speak), and thousands of friends, students, instructors, families and supporters.
Visitors can:
- Tour the inaugural exhibitions: the light-themed Bright Golden Haze, which features leading artists from around the world, and Shadow on the Glare, which uses Oklahoma artists to comment on the themes of the inaugural exhibitions.
- Explore the building and grounds, designed by Rand Elliott Architects.
- Watch live artist demos from Studio School instructors.
- See video installations from New York production company Iron Bloom.
- Get their ticket or limited-edition print signed by artist Matt Goad.
- Buy one-of-a-kind works and original products at Shop Contemporary.
- Explore the art center’s architecture in a Learning Gallery installation.
- Check out art activities for the littlest visitors in the SONIC Drive-In Early Childhood Studio.
- Listen to music led by our DJ School instructors.
- Try “contemporary comfort food” at Café Contemporary.
- Snap a series of selfie in front of a neon-lit, Ettore Sottsass-designed mirror, Ultrafragola (The Ultimate Strawberry) in our Creative Lounge.
- And so much more.
The festivities are free, just as Oklahoma Contemporary’s exhibitions and most programs always are. In celebration of the cultural center’s opening, a once-in-a-generation event, the Oklahoma City Streetcar will run free all weekend.
Photo and video opportunities will abound Friday (10 a.m.- 9 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m.- 9 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.-6 p.m.). Oklahoma Contemporary leadership and staff (as well as select artists) will be available for interviews in advance or at the events Media are encouraged to RSVP (jgray@okcontemp.org).
###
Press releases about the re-launch and inaugural exhibition plus images of the new building, works from Bright Golden Haze and more can be found at okcontemp.org/launch. Interviews can be organized through Jezy Gray (jgray@okcontemp.org). Past press releases and information are archived at oklahomacontemporary.org/media.
About Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center
Oklahoma Contemporary is an inclusive center for the arts where people of all ages and backgrounds can experience art, encounter new ideas and ignite their creative potential. Through visual art exhibitions, performances, public programs, community-building initiatives, outdoor installations and special events, we create opportunities for everyone to come together in celebration of contemporary culture and artistic expression. With year-round classes and camps across multiple disciplines, the arts center's education programs encourage youth and adults to express their ideas across a variety of media and learn new skills. Exhibitions are always free. You are always welcome here.
Oklahoma Contemporary is a regional 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 by Christian Keesee and Kirkpatrick Foundation Director Marilyn Myers.
Photo: Oklahoma Contemporary’s new building, bathed here in the morning light, takes on qualities of the Oklahoma sky. Credit (for this and all architectural photos in the media kit): Scott McDonald, Gray City Studios.
