Dale Chihuly’s glasswork, courtesy Oklahoma Museum of Art
Oklahoma City
Color, shape and light spectacularly converge in Dale Chihuly’s glasswork at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The museum houses one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chihuly glass representing over three decades of his work. Chihuly is considered the most important artist working in glass since Louis Comfort Tiffany.
“The Chihuly collection was supposed to be our opening exhibit, but the citizens and arts community of Oklahoma City loved the collection, and money was raised to purchase it,” said Elisa Milbourn, communications manager for the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
On Thursday evenings the galleries are open in conjunction with Cocktails on the Skyline, held on the rooftop terrace. Live music, a full bar and the view of downtown make it a popular event for art-loving groups.
www.okcmoa.com
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
Shawnee
The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art on St. Gregory’s University campus is one of Oklahoma’s oldest museums. Father Gregory Gerrer, for whom the museum is named, was a Benedictine monk who collected artistic and ethnological artwork in Europe, Africa and South America.
The museum building sits next door to the abbey where he lived.
Unusual for the early 1900s, the monks ran schools attended by children of Native Americans and white settlers. Art was an integral part of their education, and the monks brought the world to Oklahoma. Today, the museum’s encyclopedic collection ranges from the ancient antiquities through contemporary art.
“We’re best known for our Egyptian artifacts, considered the nicest collection between Chicago and Los Angeles,” said Dane Pollei, director and chief curator. “We have Oklahoma’s only Egyptian mummy and almost every mummified animal that was considered a deity.”
