Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center to reopen
Public access will be limited because of the pandemic
Oklahoma
Contemporary Arts Center will begin offering limited public access Wednesday to its highly anticipated new Automobile Alley headquarters and exhibitions.
The corona virus pandemic arrived in the Sooner State the week of Oklahoma Contemporary's planned March grand opening for its new $30 million home, forcing the organization to postpone the opening festivities and shift to virtual programming.
Established in 1989 at the OK C Fair grounds as City Arts Center, Oklahoma Con temp ora ry' s new downtown Oklahoma City campus at NW 11 and Broadway was completed after 12 years of planning and two years of construction.
The multi disciplinary arts center is allowing people to make online reservations to access its new building via a free timed-ticketing system.
This is the first chance the public has been given to enter the shiny new 54,000-square-foot main facility designed by Oklahoma City' s Rand Elliott Architects. The building's “Folding Light” concept allows the exterior to capture and react to sunlight.
Oklahoma Contemporary will allow five people to enter the building every half-hour, which will allow more than 2,400 square feet of socially distancing per visitor.
The nonprofit arts organization is using strict protocols for sanitation, limited capacity and social distancing that will allow guests to safely explore the space while seeing the long-awaited inaugural exhibition ,“Bright Golden Haze.”
Masks will be required for all staff and all visitors older than age 3 — the arts center' s Visitor Experience team will provide masks for those who don't have one — and hand- sanitizer stations will be available throughout the building.
“Hopefully that provides an environment where everyone can socially distance and we'll continue with our updated and stringent sanitization protocols,” Oklahoma Contemporary Artistic Director Jeremiah Matthew Davis told The Oklahoman. “I'm hopeful that ... people feel safe and comfortable in a very limited capacity being able to explore the new arts center.”
“Bright Golden Haze” features an array of works by nationally and internationally renowned artists. With its title taken from the first lyric in the iconic musical“Oklahoma !,” “Bright Golden Haze” spot lights contemporary works exploring the medium and manifestations of light.
“Bright Golden Haze” has been extended through Jan. 4 due to the pandemic.
Also on view at Oklahoma Contemporary is “Shadow on the Glare,” the first exhibition in the Mary LeFlore Clements Oklahoma Gallery inside the art center' s new four-story headquarters. Now continuing through Nov. 30, it features work by several artists with Oklahoma ties.
“In` Shadow on the Glare,' each artist uses a range of photography and video techniques to articulate their unique visions of the state's varied landscape,” said Oklahoma Contemporary Curatorial Fellow Pablo Barrera in an email.
“The Oklahoma Gallery is our third-floor gallery space dedicated to celebrating art connected to Oklahoma. This space serves to show how our local artists resonate with and contribute to the contemporary art world.”
Starting Wednesday, Oklahoma Contemporary will be offering its regular gallery hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. It is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations, as available, can be made up to two weeks in advance. Admission is free.
Although the public will now be able to access the building and galleries, many of the art center's programs will continue to be offered virtually or outdoors. Online registration is open for the fall session of Oklahoma Contemporary's Studio School, which will be completely virtual.
Jen Lewin's “Aqueous,” an interactive light installation, premiered earlier this month at Campbell Art Park, adjacent to Oklahoma Contemporary's Automobile Alley campus. Part of the “Bright Golden Haze” exhibition, the “Aqueous” surface reflects the sky, its visitors and the surrounding environment during t he day, and at night, it lights up as people walk, dance or play along the pathway.
Oklahoma
Contemporary will be announcing other virtual and outdoor public programs soon.
For more about reserving timed tickets or COVID-19 protocols, go to oklahomacontemporary.org.