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The Oklahoma State Capitol continued its facelift last week with a new art gallery that opened on the second floor honoring a longtime arts booster.
If you haven’t been to the Capitol lately, now is your chance to go and see all of its remarkable beauty. I hadn’t been since the bulk of the renovations and restoration were complete, and I could have spent much more time there exploring the art and the updates to the building that was first erected between 1914 and 1917.
Last week, I was there for a specific reason – to celebrate the grand reopening of the Betty Price Gallery and look through the inaugural exhibition. I also went to see the new exhibit of sculptures by the late Harold T. “H” Holden, who died at 83 in 2023, in the Governor’s Gallery by the state Treasurer’s Office, also on the second floor. IN addition, two other artists’ works are on display in different galleries – works by Jason Wilson of McAlester in the East Gallery and Jake Durham of Konawa in the North Gallery.
The gallery has been closed for five years due to restoration work at the state Capitol, and it opened with a reception in the second-floor rotunda. The inaugural exhibit features several themes – Impactful Artworks; New Acquisitions; In Memoriam; The People: A Community of Oklahomans; and Brilliance in Color.
Price was the longtime Oklahoma Arts Council executive director, and the gallery was renamed in her honor in 2008. She was a driving force in commissioning countless Capitol artworks and worked closely with state leaders and the Oklahoma Centennial Commission to open the gallery space in the Capitol, a news release noted. Price died in 2023 at 91.
The Oklahoma State Art Collection includes more than 200 works of art by Oklahoma’s most notable artists and the gallery, which was an official Centennial Commission project, came out of the vision of creating a permanent space for the collection, the release stated. The Oklahoma Arts Council manages the collection and curates the exhibits.
Artists with works featured in the inaugural exhibition include internationally renowned pop art icon and Oklahoma Cultural Treasure Ed Ruscha and artists such as Allan C. Houser, Enoch Kelly Haney, National Heritage Fellow Anita Fields, Carol Beesley, J. Jay McVicker, Benjamin Harjo Jr., Michi Susan, Harold Holden, Joan Hill, Joffa Kerr, T.C. Cannon, Bert Seabourn, Rance Hood, Eugene Bavinger, M.J. Alexander, and other prominent names in the visual arts in Oklahoma. The works span many different genres.
“When Oklahomans walk into their Capitol, they’ll see a beautiful preservation of our great history, culture, and artistry,” Stitt stated in the release before the event. “I’m grateful to our friends at the Arts Council for their work in bringing this collection to life.”
The gallery is free and open to the public and open for regular hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For information about the council or the collection, go to arts.ok.gov.
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