Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center is relocating to a new building in the downtown area, designed by Rand Elliott Architects, a native firm of the city. This exhibition and educational center, originally a community-oriented arts center founded in 1989, will be open to everyone and free of charge, in order to facilitate the public access for art and education.
“As Oklahoma Contemporary grows over the next year – expanding into a much larger, more central and fully-appointed location – we also are staying close to our origins as a community arts center, a place for the people of Oklahoma and visitors to our city to explore creativity,” -- Christian Keesee, Oklahoma Contemporary founder and president.
The new flagship edifice illustrates the specificities of Oklahoma, with a unique semi-reflective façade mirroring the constantly changing weather conditions. Comprised of custom-fabricated extruded aluminum fins, extending from the ground to the top of the building, this luminous element enables the building to become part of the landscape, merging with the city’s backdrop and highlighting the local context and character. Rand Elliott Architects, known for their contextually and humanly aware approaches, created a highly recognizable landmark of Oklahoma City.
The four-story center holds more than 700 square meters of galleries for visual art, a flexible theater space seating 200 persons, a dance studio and nine classroom workshops. Anchored in the center of the Oklahoma Contemporary campus, the cultural gateway of the city, the plot also contains a rehabilitated historic warehouse to be used as studios and a park that can host the outdoor activities and exhibitions of the center.
“The new building is architecture created to celebrate the ever-changing light in Oklahoma. With a focus on arts education, the building is intended to inspire visitors to see art responding to the environment around them,” – Rand Elliott, founder and principal of Rand Elliott architects.
The re-launching of the facility is scheduled for January 2020, with an inaugural exhibition entitled Bright Golden Haze, celebrating this achievement and the city’s ever-changing celestial lights, through the presentation of contemporary works from national and international artists.
