In the past few years, I have read with great delight as Oklahoma City has repeatedly been recognized as one of the most livable cities in the nation. Thanks to the hard work of Oklahomans and the efforts of our business and civic leaders, we’ve emerged as a city that boasts a vibrant culture and lifestyle all our own. And one of the institutions leading this emergence is the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Less visible but no less important parts of the museum are its education programs. These initiatives play a vital role in our community and state, enriching the lives of Oklahomans through visual arts. Through these programs, more than 10,000 students tour the museum’s collections annually, while thousands of adults and children take hundreds of art classes.
One of the museum’s newest and most innovative programs is Healing Arts Outreach, which uses art to enhance the lives of senior citizens with Alzheimer’s disease in assisted living and memory care centers in Oklahoma City.
Through my own research on Alzheimer’s at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, I have learned how the disease relentlessly robs people of their capacity to remember, think and reason. So it warmed my heart to see the passion these Alzheimer’s patients displayed in drawing with pastels or sculpting and the joy they derived from exhibiting their works. With this program, the museum is reaching out to Oklahomans who need it most.
A vibrant, growing city needs an art museum that is a paragon of artistic excellence yet also is intimately grounded in the community. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is both these things. I urge all Oklahomans to visit and enjoy it. Your patronage will support the museum and help make Oklahoma City an even better place to live.
Tang is a member of the board of directors of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and holds the J.G. Puterbaugh Chair in Medical Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.