Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum This peaceful monument and museum honors the 168 people who were killed by the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. With interactive exhibits, a reflecting pool, chairs representing each of the victims and the Survivor Tree that withstood the blast, the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum remembers the events of that day and displays the Oklahoma Standard, the community’s spirit of generosity that carried Oklahoma City through the healing process afterward. Oklahoma City Arts Festivals Mark your calendars for three can’t-miss arts festivals. Since 1967, the Festival of the Arts has brought imagination to downtown Oklahoma City in April, as one of the largest and most successful arts festivals in the country. With hundreds of world-renowned artists from across the country, the Festival of the Arts is Oklahoma City’s rite of spring. It’s also a foodie destination. The metro’s top restaurants vie for a spot at the festival, so people come each year to see the new food items.
For a taste of local talent, the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Jewel Box Theatre, Painted Sky Opera and the Carpenter Square Theatre all produce a full roster of live performances, ranging from classic musicals to national-debuting scripted dramas. Those performances can be seen at the organization’s own theaters or at the Civic Center. There are also live performances by Shakespeare in the Park on both the Myriad Gardens and Paseo Arts District stages. Oklahoma Contemporary For more than 30 years, Oklahoma Contemporary has been a vital resource for contemporary art experiences of all kinds in the region and those experiences will only increase at the center’s new home. While the building itself is a piece of art, the new Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center continues the organization’s legacy of creating opportunities for different communities to experience art, encounter new ideas and explore their creative potential. The exhibitions are always free to view and feature work of living artists from around the world. The exhibits challenge the ideas seen in today’s culture. McKnight Center for the Performing Arts This world-class venue on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater opened in October 2019 with a performance by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. A season of topnotch events was scheduled in 2020; unfortunately, the pandemic postponed those and other activities. Visit mcknightcenter.org to see who will be on stage as part of the 2021 lineup. OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Drive south of Interstate 40 along Interstate 44 to Oklahoma City Community College and check out a show at the Visual Performing Arts Center. From country music to acclaimed plays, the VPAC stays booked with a variety of events. Oklahoma City Museum of Art Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art serves more than 135,000 visitors annually and hosts special exhibitions drawn from throughout the world. OKCMOA’s collection covers a period of five centuries, with strengths in American and European art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The museum also includes a comprehensive collection of glass sculpture by Washington-native Dale Chihuly. Red Earth Art Center Red Earth, a museum and gallery dedicated to showcasing Native American Arts, is home to a permanent collection of more than 1,000 items of traditional and contemporary fine art, pottery, basketry, textiles and beadwork. The Red Earth Festival includes a juried art competition and a powwow celebrating Oklahoma’s Native American cultural roots. In the fall of 2021, Oklahoma City will welcome another world-class museum honoring Oklahoma’s 39 federally recognized tribes. The First Americans Museum, located along the Oklahoma River just west of Interstate 35, will promote awareness and understanding through Smithsonian-caliber exhibits and galleries.
On Memorial Day weekend, you can experience Oklahoma City’s local arts community in the Paseo Arts District, located
2.3 miles north of downtown. At the annual Paseo Arts
Festival, stroll down the tucked-away district’s winding streets and take in the original Spanish- style stucco buildings. The district is home to 20 galleries and more than 80 artists, in addition to restaurants, art schools and boutiques.
Then, save some time on the first weekend of October to visit the Plaza District’s annual arts and music festival. The district is on NW 16th Street, between Classen Boulevard and Pennsylvania Avenue. Live music rings through the streets as people browse local art booths, check out the latest addition on the Plaza Walls mural gallery and dine on food truck cuisine.
24 Oklahoma City Welcome Guide | ABetterLifeOKC.com
Oklahoma City Welcome Guide | ABetterLifeOKC.com
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