OKC Art Museum

Looking to be delighted and surprised? Check out the OKC art museum. True, art is not the first thing people think of when Oklahoma comes to mind. However, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art has stunning glass by Dale Chihuly permanently on the third floor. There are really impressive traveling exhibits too — from Mattiese drawing to Papier-mâché fashion collections.

OKC Art Museum — Permanent Collection

The entrance to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will immediately impress you with the 3-story tall Dale Chihuly glassworks sculpture. It’s an explosion of light and color that climbs high into the sky overlooking the OKC art museum.

More of Chihuly’s works are displayed on the third floor. Wander down the dark hallways with the soft glowing light illuminating the blown glass. It feels like you’re wandering in a forest from a storybook dream. In one room of the exhibit, you come to a beautiful boat on a black floor. The boat is full of colorful blown glass balls and other items. It reminded me of a nighttime ocean scene from the Life of Pi movie.

One of my personal favorite items here by Dale Chihuly is the Persian Glass Ceiling. It’s a simple idea, but so beautiful. You walk under the glass blown on top of you like you’re swimming in a beautiful fish tank.

On the first floor, there are areas where you can see some 20th-century drawings (mostly from American artists.) They’re okay, worth a peek. There are also some paintings from Renoir and Gustave Courbet that are worth a look. If you’re into European paintings, this is a refreshing (albeit light) little way to take a look at some up close.

OKC Art Museum — Traveling Exhibits

Over the past year, a couple of my favorite traveling exhibits have been 1) the Henri Matteise Drawings and Paintings, and 2) The Paper Fashion Exhibit.

The Matisse Exhibit:

I grew up with my dad drawing copies of Henri Matisse paintings and putting them around our house. Something about this French artist’s color, light, and fluid strokes reminds me of joy. I was so delighted to see this come to the OKC Art Museum!

Here are a couple quick pictures of what it looked like:

The Papier-mâché Fashion Exhibit:

Another great traveling exhibit to come around to the OKC art museum was the Papier-mâché fashion exhibit. This was a tour or fashion through the ages, displayed with brilliant dresses and costumes made from Papier-mâché. From Russian tutus and dance outfits to French aristocracy and the Mary Poppins look — this was a really brilliant show. I brought a group of about 40 friends (all ages). Some had never been to a museum before, and everyone loved it. Quite a hit.

So What’s the Next Traveling Exhibit?

From Oct 13, 2025 - Jan 6, 2026 there will be a traveling exhibit called:

VICTORIAN RADICALS: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement

Notes on Museum Visits:

• Another fun event is the one Thursday a month they do after 5pm. You can get in for just $5. It’s also fun to go in the evening.
• The movie theater at the museum shows cools art films. You’ll find some really fun picks here.
• They’re doing a Sherlock night November 15th. You get to solved a crime and dress like a detective. Um, SIGN ME UP!
• If you bring a group of 20, you qualify for a discount group rate entry price!
• There are often Groupons for half price tickets.
• You can park for nearly free around the corner if you hunt for parking for 5 minutes.
• It’s closed Mondays.

Check out other museum info on their OKC Art Museum website.

Enjoy your visit! And share this post if you think someone else would enjoy going too. 🙂