As museums work to appeal to constituents, regardless of political affiliation, in an increasingly polarized political moment, the Oklahoma Contemporary offers a case study in retaining institutional convictions while remaining welcoming and approachable.
Oklahoma City hasn’t registered on many people’s radars the way [David] Holt—the Republican mayor and former board president of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park—would like. The city that birthed the Flaming Lips used to be the blue-collar step-sibling to more sophisticated Tulsa, but has since outpaced its northern neighbor’s arts offerings.
“Our first challenge is that they don’t think of us at all, and then if you force them to think of us, they may have silly images of the Wild West, the musical, college football, or something,” Holt said.
That’s why the stakes are high for
Oklahoma Contemporary, a 53,916-square-foot, custom-built space that
sits on 4.5 acres and includes a dance studio, classrooms, studios for
ceramic and fiber artists, and 8,000 square feet of gallery space.
Additional Oklahoma Contemporary launch coverage:
Light is a recurring motif inside and out of Oklahoma City's new cultural landmark
Metropolis
Oklahoma’s Light-Bending Contemporary Art Center Has Been Completed
Architectural Digest
Dawning of a new day: Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center opens long-awaited new home
The Oklahoman
New arts space finds its muse in the atmospheric Oklahoma sky
The Art Newspaper
Architect Rand Elliott talks about Oklahoma Contemporary's new home
Gray Magazine
Zigzagging aluminium walls wrap Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center
Dezeen
Oklahoma Contemporary Opens New Arts Center Inspired by Ever-Changing Light
Hypebeast
New Oklahoma Contemporary draws on the region's light and sky
Wallpaper*
Rand Elliott completes light-bending Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center
The Architect's Newspaper
Tour and Tell: The new Oklahoma Contemporary is going to be amazing!
The Lost Ogle
An inside look at the finished Oklahoma Contemporary arts center in downtown OKC
KFOR News 4
The arts in Oklahoma City are to be celebrated, and accessible to all
Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center opens its new building in Oklahoma City
World-Architects
Oklahoma Contemporary and a Façade Reflecting the Open Skies [English Version]
Il museo di Oklahoma City e quel fronte che riflette i cieli del Midwest [Italian Version]
Elle Decor
リニューアルした「Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center」「Folding Light」が街の新しいビーコンに
Axis Web Magazine
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Centre por Rand Elliott Architects
Ambientes Digital
