Valentine's Day ideas from Oklahoma Contemporary
Love is in the air at your new arts center. Oklahoma City might be in the midst of a cold snap, but our new home at NW 11th and Broadway is a great place to warm up with that special someone this Valentine's Day weekend. From our exhibitions to special café offerings, thoughtful gifts from Shop Contemporary and more, our new home in downtown OKC has you covered when it comes to creating unforgettable memories with people you care about. So grab your masks, mind your distance and get ready for a serious love connection.
Exhibitions
What's more romantic than hitting the open road? If it's travel you crave, there's plenty to love about our current and upcoming exhibitions. Our ongoing Fieldworks: Beyond Measure in the third-floor Mary LeFlore Clements Gallery will transport you to the deserts of the American Southwest — where University of Oklahoma professors Todd Stewart and Robert Bailey conducted fieldwork expeditions with students to explore the traces left by humans on the environment.
And if you've been following chatter in the local contemporary arts community lately, there's one name you can't escape: Ed Ruscha. Surprise your special someone with free tickets to experience the landmark homecoming exhibition, Ed Ruscha: OKLA, exploring the iconic artist's relationship to his home state. With the innovator's creative eye drawn to America's western freeways, including the roadside gas stations that helped make him famous, it's the perfect way to capture the spirit of the open road with your favorite travel partner. (Pro-tip: No Valentine's visit is complete without spending quality time inside Ruscha's famed Chocolate Room!)
If you're looking to experience these knockout shows this weekend, you'll need a membership. While members can enjoy a sneak peek at Ed Ruscha: OKLA beginning this Friday, non-members can make reservations now for general access after the Feb. 18 opening. General access for Fieldworks: Beyond Measure resumes on the same day, running through April 19.
Café
"I was poor in love. I was poor in wealth. I was OK in everything else there was."
You might not be as maudlin or wry as critically acclaimed Vancouver singer-songwriter Daniel Bejar (a.k.a. Destroyer), but you'll be feeling the indie rocker's catalog in a whole new way during the Destroyer-themed Valentine's Day dinner at Café Contemporary. On Feb. 14, owner Avery Cannon and his friendly contemporary comfort food crew will be serving specialty entrees and cocktails inspired and soundtracked by songs from the artist's 25-year career.
The special evening's menu will feature plenty for veggie lovers, like the seasonal root vegetable carpaccio (inspired by Destroyer's "Watercolours into the Ocean") and seared potato cakes with cashew dill cream sauce ("Cover from the Sun"). Carnivores will gravitate toward the steak au poivre with cognac cream sauce ("Painter in Your Pocket"), with a flourless chocolate tort or vegan lemon olive oil cake ("Cue Synthesizer") for an encore you won't forget.
Make your reservations now by calling (405) 768-2845.
Shop
Sometimes the best way to say "I love you" is through the perfect gift. With our new retail store, Shop Contemporary, we've made it easier than ever to surprise that hard-to-shop-for person in your life with lots of art-forward items you won't find anywhere else. In addition to home and beauty products like Solare essential oils and home goods like hand-thrown stoneware candle holders from Lollie, the shop will feature plenty of exciting new items surrounding the Ed Ruscha: OKLA exhibition, opening Feb. 18.
Know someone who can't get enough of the OKC-raised contemporary art provocateur? You're sure to find something that will blow their mind in our special collection of items related to Ruscha. We'll have exclusive posters (numbered and limited to 100) along with a stash of art books, back catalogs and even a limited-edition T-shirt featuring Ed Ruscha's Oklahoma E (1962) designed by L.A.-based Entireworld.
Friday Night Workshop: Love Under Pressure [DELAYED]
Linocuts are for lovers! Pour a glass of your favorite adult beverage and explore the art of relief printmaking with a date, BFF or four-legged friend. Following this Feb. 11 Friday Night Workshop, you'll have the tools and knowledge to create your own small-scale linocut blocks to print on paper or fabric. The $45 workshop price includes all materials, which you can pick up at Oklahoma Contemporary. Registration closes at noon the day of the event. [Update: This workshop has been postponed to Feb. 26.]
Looking for more connection through creation? Warm up with people you care about all winter long through a variety of private group workshops offering plenty of options for creative fun — from drink-and-draw sessions to splatterpaint, ceramics, acrylic painting and more. And you can always find a fun activity for the whole family though our #AtHomeArt project series, or comb the #FridayFilms archive for the perfect movie for a romantic weekend indoors. Whatever option speaks to you, love and art go hand in hand all year round at your new arts center.
Exhibition image: Ed Ruscha. Twentysix Gasoline Stations from Book Covers, 1970. Lithograph on paper. 16 1/8 x 20 3/16 in. UBS Art Collection © Ed Ruscha. Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian.
Return to New Light.