THE ART OF APPRECIATION

Every now and then we stumble upon another website or blog that is saying nice things about us. Every experience is different and all are appreciated. Today we came across a blog called Heart of America Artists Association. The following post is by John P. Lasater IV (founder of website and an artist).

"Yesterday, I woke in a slump and decided to fight it with a dose of inspiration. I realized I’d never been to a museum by myself, so off to Tulsa to the Philbrook I went.

From my years as a designer, I remembered that it’s helpful to have a goal before taking in gobs of visual eye-candy, so I started by meditating in the parking lot about what I wanted to find—what drove me to come here. As I calmed myself in the parked car, it struck me that I spend little time identifying what it is that moves my artistic spirit. I wrote in my art journal “discover what moves me”.

Have you ever noticed that being skilled at painting makes you immune somewhat to being emotionally moved by other artists’ works? If I have any emotional reaction to art, it’s because I see the genius in their craft, and wish to have their knowledge or skill, but rarely do I allow myself to react purely as an appreciator. Yesterday, I got to be an appreciator."

To see what pieces moved him the most, click HERE

SPOOKY SATURDAY MATINEE

On Saturday we'll be hosting our 2nd afternoon matinee at 1pm. We'll be showing the Cary Grant classic Arsenic and Old Lace (set on Halloween) as well as showing a newsreel and some classic Halloween cartoons. We hope you can join us.

MEET OUR MASCOTS

FOT25

The 2009 Festival of Trees will also be the 25th anniversary of this beloved event.

Over the last quarter of a century, this tradition has become known not only for the wonderfully creative pieces, but for being an event that involves the entire family year after year.

Instead of the usual 2 week run, we have added another week for you and your family to enjoy. Over the course of those 3 weeks there will be events galore including the return of Garden Glow.
We even have a few surprises up our sleeves. Stay tuned.

The festival runs Friday, Nov. 20th - Sunday, Dec. 13th

GET CARY-IED AWAY

This weekend we will be screening the 2nd installment in our Saturday Matinee film series. Join us on Halloween at 1pm for the 1944 classic "Arsenic and Old Lace" starring the great Cary Grant. In true matinee tradition you'll also be treated to a cartoon and a newsreel.

In this madcap romp, Mortimer Brewster,
a mild-mannered drama critic, learns on
Halloween that his two kindly and loveable
aunts have been poisoning people with
elderberry wine. Corpses can turn up in the
most unusual places in Brooklyn!

Check out the wonderfully campy trailer right here.

THIS IS ART, DON'T DIS IT or Selections from our visitor sketchbooks Oct. 09

LANE SMITH PT. 3

So over the past couple of weeks, we have shared some things with you about Lane Smith.

But instead of telling you more, why don't we let Lane and his wife, Molly Leach (a book designer), explain their work in their own words.

MEET ILLUSTRATOR LANE SMITH

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Times: 3pm to 4pm
Members: Free, $10 per guest Not Yet Member: $15
Room: Patti Johnson Wilson Hall

AUSPICIOUS VISION REVISITED

A couple of months ago, we opened the exhibition, Auspicious Vision: Edward Wales Root and American Modernism. It's already been seen by droves of people, some seeing it several times.

If you haven't made the time to do so, you still have a few weeks.

And why?

Pollock. Rothko. Dove. Hopper. De Kooning. And those are merely a few of the great artists featured in this show. But more than that, the chance to see a collection through the eyes of the collector, is a rare and special experience.

Don't miss your chance to see this exhibition.

LANE SMITH PT. 2

As we mentioned a few days back, we have an upcoming event with an amazing children's book author and illustrator named Lane Smith.

He's won all kinds of awards and has produced many iconic books (Stinky Cheese Man,

anyone?) Lots of people know his work, but not many know that he was born in Tulsa. Don't believe us?

"LANE SMITH was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 25th, 1959. His family moved to Corona, California when he was three, but spent the better part of every summer back in Oklahoma. "My family would take the old Route 66 highway. I think that's where my bizarre sense of design comes from. Once you've seen a 100-foot cement buffalo on top of a donut-stand in the middle of nowhere, you're never the same."

So not only was he born here, he attributes his entire sense of design to his time in our fair state. To get a taste of what that "sense of design" actually is, join us for this great event.

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Times: 3pm to 4pm
Members: Free, $10 per guest Not Yet Member: $15
Room: Patti Johnson Wilson Hall

WORKING ON WORKS ON PAPER

One of the most eclectic and ever-changing areas of the museum is the Works On Paper gallery located on our upper level. Utilizing our extensive and varied permanent collection, we are able to present wonderful exhibitions time and time again.

We have just installed our latest exhibition "Northern Renaissance Prints"

Here's a little bit of info from our website...

"Although the introduction of printmaking preceded the Renaissance, it was between 1470 and 1500 that a generation of artists gained international recognition and printmaking matured as an art form."

Take a look and see how this all came together. Then come down and see the finished product. The show runs through Jan. 10, 2010.

LANE SMITH IS COMING TO PHILBROOK

Lane Smith is one of the most accomplished childrens book illustrators in the world. The fact that he was born right here in Tulsa makes him even more interesting. And we couldn't be more excited about having him join us for a great event in November. Tickets will go fast, so don't hestitate.

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Times: 3pm to 4pm
Members: Free, $10 per guest Not Yet Member: $15
Room: Patti Johnson Wilson Hall

Call Membership Specialist Saletha Fuller at 918.748.5320 to reserve your space. Tickets available to Not Yet Members starting November 2.

A bit about Lane from his website...

"Lane Smith has written and illustrated a bunch of stuff. Most recently Madam President and John, Paul, George & Ben which were both New York Times and Publishers Weekly best-sellers. His titles with Jon Scieszka have included the Caldecott Honor winner The Stinky Cheese Man; The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs; Math Curse; and Science Verse. Lane's other high profile titles include Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky; The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders; Big Plans by Bob Shea; and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. In 1996 Lane served as Conceptual Designer on the Disney film version of James and the Giant Peach.

Lane also wrote and illustrated the retro, cult favs The Happy Hocky Family and The Happy Hocky Family Moves to the Country. He and book designer Molly Leach also live in the country, in a little town in rural Connecticut."

FACE TIME

Tonight is 3rd Thursday and we need your face!
Our new ad campaign in Urban Tulsa Weekly uses real people who come to our events. We will have the photographer ready and the camera set up. All you need to do is say "CHEESE!".

Tonight's event runs from 5:30-8pm

We hope you can make it!

SPLATTER, DRIZZLE & SWIRL

TOMORROW IS THIRD THURSDAY! 5:30pm-8pm

Want to know what it would feel like to be an artist in the 1950s?

Listen to a little jazz, grab a drink, and see why Pollock was called “Jack the Dripper.” Check out the Abstract Expressionist paintings in the "Auspicious Vision" exhibition by artists Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, then try out a little drip and drizzle yourself.

Presented in conjunction with Tulsa’s Young Professionals.
Made possible through the generous support of Z-104.5 The Edge and Urban Tulsa Weekly.

ADKINS ONLINE

On today's live show on www.OklaTravelNet.com, our very own Christina Burke talked about the Eugene B. Adkins Collection. The acquisition of this collection, which we share the the Fred Jones Jr Museum in Norman, is truly one of the most significant things to ever happen at the museum. You can see it here by clicking on "Last archived show" on the top right-hand corner of the video screen.

We will be running an exhibition of selected pieces from December 20, 2009-January 31, 2010.

Enjoy the show!

WORDS FROM OUR FANS

There are few things we like more than hearing great responses to our programs and the experiences we provide. Here are just a few samples from our fans on Facebook regarding our FREE FAMILY DAY last Saturday.

"My boys, ages 7 & 9, thoroughly enjoyed the scavenger hunt, Jackson Pollock's "Number 34", and (of course) the museum shop. Thank you for another opportunity to witness the artist awaken in each of them!" - Andrea Walker Bremer

"My family and I had a great time. We have gone the last 3 months and I don't think we have seen everything there yet. We have 3 boys, 2 of which are teenagers and everyone really enjoys it (which says a lot). We ate lunch at your restaurant this past Saturday and it was WONDERFUL! Thanks for having the projects for the kids! What a great way to get them interested in art and a great way for families to spend time together."
-Tracy Orosco Watkins

"My 8-yr-old twin girls couldn't get enough Philbrook! We stayed for 4 hours! We are now members! Thank you for a fabulous day to remember!" - Amy Smith Main

"Loved the matinee - will try to make the next two also. The speaker before the film gave us points to ponder...newsreel was educational..."I like to Singa" cartoon was great -the elderly folks around me were remembering "didn't we used to like that?" As in "that jazz" lol! I liked seeing all the families involved in artwork together, then I took a tour of the exhibits. A thoroughly wonderful time!" - Erica Brown

"We had so much fun!! My girls always enjoy 2nd Sat.. And it was a beautiful day for the scavenger hunt!!! Thanks so much for a great day!"
-Tasha Wilson

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON)

Join us on Saturday at 1pm as we kick-off our Saturday matinee film series with one of the greatest comedies ever made, It Happened One Night (1934). This classic, directed by Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) stars none other than the iconic Clark Gable in a role that couldn't be any further from his own Rhett Butler.

It's well known that Academy Awards rarely go to comedies. But this one took home an award in each of the five major categories.

We hope you can join us and bring the kids. Watch a newsreel, cartoon, and then the feature film - and immerse yourself in Hollywood's Golden Age.

And it just so happens to be FREE FAMILY DAY, so there is no excuse to miss this fun event!!

HANGING WITH VINCENT AND PIERRE

Earlier this week, we hung two new pieces that are sure to spark some interest:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s, Coastline at Antibes, 1888
and Vincent van Gogh’s, Lilacs, 1887.

The Renoir and van Gogh paintings join previous loaned paintings from the Hammer Foundation – Pierre Bonnard’s, Nude Against the Light, 1909, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s, Pleasures of the Evening, 1875, and Henri Fantin-Latour’s, Roses, 1884, and William Michael Harnett’s, Still Life , 1889. Also newly hung in the gallery is Gustave Courbet’s painting, La Gorge, c. 1860s, from a private collection.

In his painting Renoir describes the sloping coastline of Antibes in southeastern France, using light and delicate brushwork. Influenced by painters like Corot who frequently painted outdoors, or en plein air, Impressionists like Renoir were often concerned with capturing the fleeting effects of light that are so visible in this work.

Vincent van Gogh used a range of intense, purple hues and his distinctive technique to create this focused portrait of a bunch of lilac flowers. This still life was painted shortly after van Gogh’s move to Paris in 1886, where he was greatly influenced by the flickering, broken brushwork found in the paintings of such Impressionists as Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro.

The gallery has been arranged to receive the new paintings by Philbrook’s new Ruth G. Hardman Curator of European Art, Tanya Paul. Ms. Paul completed her doctoral degree at the University of Virginia in 2008 with a dissertation on the seventeenth century Dutch still life painter Willem van Aelst (1627-1683). Her completed dissertation will be an international loan exhibition that will be held at the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston at the end of 2012.

Ms. Paul has worked in the museum world since 1998; most recently as a Curatorial fellow at the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She was also a graduate intern in the paintings department at the J. Paul Getty Museum and worked as both an intern and a fellow at the University of Virginia Art Museum.

Tanya Paul will be hosting a gallery talk at Philbrook, “The European Collection Through the Eyes of the Curator," Wednesday, November 11 from noon to 1pm.

TWO FOR THE SHOW

BIG NEWS! We have received a generous loan of two paintings from the Armand Hammer Foundation for long term exhibition at the Museum.

The paintings are Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s, Coastline at Antibes, 1888 (top) and Vincent van Gogh’s, Lilacs, 1887. (bottom)

There will be more detail on these pieces coming soon. Stay tuned!

CINEMA RETRO

Ever long for the return of the Saturday Matinee? Bring your friends and family for an experience everyone will enjoy. In connection with the special exhibition Auspicious Vision, explore the films, events, styles and issues from America's past. Watch a newsreel, cartoon, and then a feature film - and immerse yourself in Hollywood's Golden Age.

It Happened One Night (1934)
Saturday, October 10, 1 pm – 3:30 pm
What can happen when a pampered socialite
falls for a newspaper reporter during a furtive
cross-country trip to New York? Starring Clark
Gable and Claudette Colbert, this film won five
Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor
and Actress.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Saturday, October 31, 1 pm – 3:30 pm
In this madcap romp, Mortimer Brewster,
a mild-mannered drama critic, learns on
Halloween that his two kindly and loveable
aunts have been poisoning people with
elderberry wine. Corpses can turn up in the
most unusual places in Brooklyn! Starring Cary
Grant, Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey.

Guys and Dolls (1955)
Saturday, November 7, 1 pm – 3:30 pm
Gamblers, gangsters, and the Save A Soul
Mission are just part of what’s in store in this
outrageous comic musical. Sky Masterson rolls
the dice for Sister Sarah Brown and traffic stops
in Times Square. Starring Marlon Brando, Frank
Sinatra and Jean Simmons.

THANK YOU!

Saturday morning began with a chilly start. The low 40's temperature was one of the first real signs that autumn is here. It was right around 6:30 when we showed up and began setting up our humble little table. It was a busy sight, but the commotion was primarily due to the many vendors prepping their tents and stations, setting up for the last Cherry St. Farmers' Market of the year.

But soon enough, guests began arriving. Susan, the representative from the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, diligently handed out flyers to vendors and patrons alike, letting them know about what we were trying to do.

In case you don't know, earlier this year, when faced with a budget shortfall, we weren't going to be able to plant our South Formal Garden. What could have been a problem was turned into an opportunity thanks to our amazing Garden Manager, Melinda McMillan. To make a long story short, we planted all sorts of fruits and veggies and decided to give the harvest to the food bank.
We couldn't be more pleased with the results. Before the farmer's market on Saturday morning, we had already given nearly 900 pounds of food to the food bank. By the time the market was over, we'd added another 252 pounds in food and enough monetary donations for 2,408 meals. WOW!

So all we can really say is THANK YOU.

GOING TO MARKET

On the last day of the Saturday Cherry Street Farmers’ Market (tomorrow), we encourage you to purchase extra produce from the vendors and donate it to the hungry. The event is designed to be a win-win situation for both the farmers and the hungry in Oklahoma. The extra income will help the farmers prepare for the winter and the fresh produce will be donated to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, which distributes food to 450 Partner Programs in 24 counties of Eastern Oklahoma.


We'll have a booth set up from 7 – 11 a.m., to accept donations. The market is located at 15th & Peoria in Tulsa.


“Fresh produce is always a highly-valued commodity,” said the Food Bank’s executive director, Sara Waggoner. “And this event comes at a time when those seeking food assistance is at an all-time high in Eastern Oklahoma.”


This project is yet another example of how we strive to uphold Waite Phillips’ legacy of helping Oklahomans in times of need. This past summer, when budget cuts prohibited us from planting our typical ornamental garden, we planted 3,600 square feet of fruit and vegetable plants instead, with the plan to donate the produce to the Food Bank. Since July those plants have produced more than 850 pounds of fresh tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe, cucumbers, squash, peppers, eggplant and other produce.

We hope you can come see us tomorrow at the Cherry Street Farmers' Market. Some lucky patrons will receive passes to the museum. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 lbs. of food for the food bank!!

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

At our most recent Third Thursday event, Tulsa World editorial cartoonist Bruce Plante provided two un-captioned cartoons and challenged the audience to come up with the best filler.

This was a really fun event and it caused lots and lots of passionate discussion.

Here are the two cartoons and the winning captions. They were published today and yesterday in the Tulsa World.