About
Mission
Our mission is to enrich lives through the visual arts.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is one of the leading arts institutions in the region. The Museum presents a dynamic range of exhibitions organized from prestigious museums and collections throughout the world. The Museum’s own diverse collection features highlights from North America, Europe, and Asia, with particular strengths in American art and postwar abstraction. The permanent collection also boasts one of the world’s largest public collections of Dale Chihuly glass, a major collection of photography by Brett Weston, and the definitive museum collection of works by the Washington Color painter Paul Reed. The Museum’s renowned Samuel Roberts Noble Theater screens the finest international, independent, documentary, and classic films. Museum amenities include the Museum Store and the Roof Terrace. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors. The Museum serves over 125,000 visitors annually from all fifty states and thirty foreign countries.
History
The Museum’s 110,000 square foot facility, constructed in 2002, is located in the heart of downtown and is an anchor for a growing cultural district of the greater metropolitan area.
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s roots trace to early statehood efforts of the Oklahoma Art League and Art Renaissance Club, organizations concerned with art education for a young city. Over time, more formal efforts began with a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Experimental Gallery, which was open to the public. The Museum transitioned from a federally funded gallery to a private institution when it was incorporated on May 18, 1945.
The Museum today is the synthesis of two predecessors, the Oklahoma Art Center, itself an outgrowth of the WPA Experimental Gallery, and the Oklahoma Museum of Art. Although both institutions were committed to collecting,
public programs, and exhibitions, a depressed economy following the downturn in the energy industry during the 1980s challenged the city’s ability to support two institutions and led to a merger of the two museums in 1989.
Museum leaders seized the opportunity to bring a new Oklahoma City Museum of Art to maturation as a single, financially secure entity.
Led by a $14.5 million capital grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and by an extraordinary outpouring of support from more the 500 foundations, corporations, and individual donors, the $40 million goal was reached to build and endow the new museum, entirely with private funds. In March of 2002, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center, opened to critical acclaim. The Museum now attracts over 125,000 visitors each year with its permanent collection, cycle of temporary exhibitions, inventive education opportunities, international film program, and Museum Store.
Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center
Consisting of three floors of galleries, studio classrooms, Museum Store, Samuel Roberts Noble Theater, the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center is in the Arts District of downtown Oklahoma City between Hudson and Walker Avenues on Couch Drive. The Museum, designed by Allen Brown Architects, opened in its current location in 2002.
Samuel Roberts Noble Theater
Incorporating the original 1947 Centre Theater as an adaptive reuse project, the 250-seat Samuel Roberts Noble Theater features a state-of-the-art projection system and is home to the Museum’s film program, which presents screenings every Thursday through Sunday.
Roof Terrace
Lobbies
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art has two lobbies, one at the atrium entrance to the building’s west, near Walker Avenue, and the second at the theater box office to the building’s east, near Hudson Avenue. Each features large-scale glass installations by Dale Chihuly.
Atrium Lobby
The Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower, created by Dale Chihuly, was commissioned by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in 1999. This monumental sculpture was created for the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center atrium entrance in memory of the late Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick, a Museum founder.
Theater Lobby
Departments
Michael J. Anderson, President & CEO
Leadership
Board of Trustees
Careers
To see a brief description of the position that interests you, click on the position title. Human Resources will review each applicant’s qualifications for compatibility with available openings. Should a potential fit exist, Human Resources will contact the applicant directly.
Explore
Chihuly Glass Will Return! Dale Chihuly: Magic & Light is now closed. Check out our current exhibitions and learn more about the new Chihuly reinstallation, Chihuly Then and Now: The Collection at Twenty, opening in June 2022.
View our open exhibitions at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. From delicate glass pieces to painted portraits and hand-carved statues, we have everything you are interested in.
Access
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art welcomes all visitors. We recognize the diverse backgrounds and needs of our community and are committed to creating a “culture of welcome” in which all visitors feel safe, supported, and valued. We strive to make Museum programs and public spaces accessible and inclusive by removing barriers that impede participation.
