Philbrook, OU to share art collection
By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Staff Writer
7/16/2007
Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma in Norman will share in one of the most important private collections of Southwestern and American Indian art in the nation.
Officials from the Adkins Foundation and the two museums will hold a press conference Monday to announce that their institutions were selected to receive the Eugene B. Adkins Collection -- more than 1,000 paintings and objects valued at $50 million that was assembled by Tulsa native Eugene Brady Adkins.
"We are looking forward to working with both institutions to provide a home for this magnificent collection and are excited about the educational opportunities the proposal provides," Ted M. Riseling, chairman of the Adkins Foundation Board, said in a prepared statement.
"We feel very fortunate to share this collection with the people of Oklahoma and the many visitors who will be able to enjoy Mr. Adkins' generosity."
The collection will be presented to the museums as a long-term loan.
OU President David Boren said both museums would share the entire collection, exchanging pieces for display.
Both museums will need new spaces to house and exhibit the Adkins Collection.
Philbrook's new Adkins Collection and Study Center, to be located at a new satellite facility downtown, will include public gallery space; research facilities that advance public engagement with the collections through adaptive use of technology; and Philbrook's Lawson Library, a collection of 1,100 volumes focusing on American Indian history and culture.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation has contracted to purchase a warehouse at the corner of Boston and Brady avenues as a site that would house a multipurpose fine arts center.
Plans for the building include up to 15,000 square feet for the new Adkins center, which would be operated by Philbrook.
In a press release, OU said it will add a new 6,500-square-foot gallery on an additional floor above the original art gallery building of the school's art museum.
OU also will add a curator for the collection, additional graduate fellowships, and an Adkins Presidential Professorship in the history of Western American art.
Boren said the partnership with Philbrook will strengthen both organizations.
"By joining as partners and alternating exhibitions of pieces from the collection which each will have, the people of Oklahoma will continuously have the opportunity to view the major master works from the collection," Boren said.
Philbrook and OU will increase shared internships and scholarly research on the collection and will consider additional joint initiatives in the future, Boren said.
Randall Suffolk, executive director of the Philbrook Museum of Art, said the combined strengths of the American Indian art collections now available to Philbrook are impressive.
"Indeed, it is the synergy and opportunities created among the Eugene B. Adkins collection, Philbrook's Native American collection, and our Lawson Library that will distinguish the Center as a unique resource of international importance," Suffolk said.
Adkins, who died in February 2006, collected American Indian baskets, jewelry and pottery, as well as more than 400 paintings, most of them by artists affiliated with the Taos Society.
Among the artists represented in the collection are Maynard Dixon (currently the subject of an exhibition at Tulsa's Gilcrease Museum), Charles M. Russell, Joseph Henry Sharp, Nicolai Fechin, John Marin, William R. Leigh, Victor Higgins, Jerome Tiger and Maria Martinez.
The Philbrook Museum of Art is known for its commitment to American Indian art, which began in 1946 with the Philbrook Annual, a show that for more than 30 years featured the finest in contemporary American Indian art.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is known for its collections of Southwestern, contemporary American, and French Impressionist art. In recent years, the university museum has received two major gifts of paintings by Taos Society artists.
James D. Watts Jr. 581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
Eugene Brady Adkins
Life: Born, Jan. 5, 1920. Died, Feb. 23, 2006, in Tulsa.
Family: Son of Eugene Sloan Adkins and Bess Brady Adkins. His grandfather was Tulsa pioneer Tate Brady, an entrepreneur and civic leader who built the city's first major hotel.
Education: Earned a degree in art history from Dartmouth College and a graduate business degree from Stanford University.
Early art interest: Spent his summers as a youngster in Santa Fe, N.M., where he acquired a strong interest in Southwestern history and art, and a keen interest in American Indian culture.
The collection: Built a lifelong art collection of more than 1,000 pieces, including baskets, jewelry, pottery and more than 400 paintings. Its value has been put at $50 million.Text
Great deal! An actually activity downtown.
Perhaps whatever new hotel going in near the convention center would like a floor to be dedicated to the Philbrook. It would seem to be a really good and classy idea to me.
Also, kind of a side note, Tulsa needs a discovery center/children's museum with hands on stuff. I don't care if its the Zoo, the Schools, the city. .. it just amazes me that a city this size doesnt have an imaginarium/discovery zone or whatever you want to call it.
Boston & Brady is the Matthews warehouse. I thought that had a different owner/purpose.
And yes, we need a children's/family museum. My wife and kids recently went to Seminole which has an amazing children's museum.
That's right, SEMINOLE has one but Tulsa doesn't.
I've always felt that the Gilcrease and Philbrook should have a joint satellite museum downtown... call it the PhilCrease.
Both have much of their collections undisplayed...why not have a "teaser" museum featuring these currently undisplayed collections, which would encourage visitation to the main facilities and also provide space for new collections, say a modern/contemporary art collection or like the one announced above.
We also NEED a new downtown library...the PhilCrease could share space...
My boy recently went to the the Jasmine Moran museum too, with the TPS summer program. Scary.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
Boston & Brady is the Matthews warehouse. I thought that had a different owner/purpose.
And yes, we need a children's/family museum. My wife and kids recently went to Seminole which has an amazing children's museum.
That's right, SEMINOLE has one but Tulsa doesn't.
I'm pretty sure Tulsa does actually have one. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm sure of it. It's the Harmon Science Center. I've been there.
And, words cannot express how happy I am that Philbrook is getting the collection AND that Kaiser once again has stepped up and something is FINALLY going to be done with the Mathews building... Isn't that supposed to be the loft/studio/gallery, etc. space?
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
Boston & Brady is the Matthews warehouse. I thought that had a different owner/purpose.
And yes, we need a children's/family museum. My wife and kids recently went to Seminole which has an amazing children's museum.
That's right, SEMINOLE has one but Tulsa doesn't.
It says 15,000 square feet, and the Mathews has to be a lot larger than that. I don't know if this will be a portion of the Mathews or another building near there.
Excellent area to have an art museum. Will definitely be a major anchor for the budding arts district there for sure. Is there not another warehouse building on or near that corner? Would be really nice if the Matthews building could still be turned into artists studios and lofts.
On a side note. I have never been thrilled with the limited space that Philbrook has had for some of its American Indian art down in the basement area. I was always of a mind that it could perhaps go to Gilcrease and be displayed there in that larger context. Its just my opinion but I would rather see Villa Philbrook concentrate a little more on "old world" styled art, Italian, French, Victorian, classically styled American, with a mix of contemporary thrown in as well. Philbrook is a small museum and while I realize its great to have a mix of as many styles and time periods as possible, with it being such a small museum some items like the American Indian art can be squeezed for space and not be properly appreciated. By having a museum branch downtown, I hope that they move most of that stuff down in the basement to it and perhaps use that space for the Greek, Roman, Egyptian antiquities artwork which they recently put away into storage.
Actually my fantasy would be to expand Philbrook underground and in front of the building to the south, and have a glass dome or something like the glass pyramid at the Louvre.
Oh, and thanks again Mr. Kaiser family and foundation.
quote:
Originally posted by DScott28604
I'm pretty sure Tulsa does actually have one. Actually, now that I think of it, I'm sure of it. It's the Harmon Science Center. I've been there.
The Harmon science center was only open for two years before it closed and was supposedly open for school tours only.
Sounds awesome.
Isn't this what K&K had said would be going into "Mayo Place"? I assumed that's where they'd be putting it until I saw Brady.
Still sounds awesome.
it has to be the Matthews Building...
This is what I was talking about earlier:
Concept100 Arts Center
Location: 200 E. Brady, in Brady Arts District
Status: Groundbreaking planned for next year, the purchase of the building is currently underway.
Details: This will be a full-fledged artist colony consisting of artist lofts, artist galleries, artist offices, artist storage, and a coffee house on the street level.
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/shake2005/100ArtsCenter.jpg)
Also, here's a link to additional information on the Tulsa Arts District... There's a picture of the Matthews building, so I bet it's one in the same. Also in the file are renderings of the remodel for the Brady Theatre. Neat stuff! http://tulsagrad.ou.edu/studio/tulsaarts/YA-Tulsa%20Arts%20District%202007.pdf
I'm just curious why the collection was not donated to the Gilcrease museum. The collection fits with the purpose of Gilcrease, and Mr. Atkins several years ago stated that he intended to give it to the Gilcrease museum. But now a few months after the mayor announced the need of a major reorganization of Gilcrease due to it being in disarray, the Gilcrease has missed out on a major donation. Things are not looking good for the museum.
I know that this collection is small in comparison to the Gilcrease collection, and may not have gotten as much notice. But due to the high quality of the collections it would still have been displayed in a prominent way... The whole thing is puzzling too me, like there is something we are not being told.
quote:
Originally posted by DScott28604
This is what I was talking about earlier:
Concept100 Arts Center
Location: 200 E. Brady, in Brady Arts District
Status: Groundbreaking planned for next year, the purchase of the building is currently underway.
Details: This will be a full-fledged artist colony consisting of artist lofts, artist galleries, artist offices, artist storage, and a coffee house on the street level.
(http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e150/shake2005/100ArtsCenter.jpg)
Also, here's a link to additional information on the Tulsa Arts District... There's a picture of the Matthews building, so I bet it's one in the same. Also in the file are renderings of the remodel for the Brady Theatre. Neat stuff! http://tulsagrad.ou.edu/studio/tulsaarts/YA-Tulsa%20Arts%20District%202007.pdf
EEK! thats an abomination. modern architecture among all those turn of the century brick buildings....puke. please, throw in some preservation please.
KOTV reported that it is the Mathews building. Philbrook is going to merge their existing Native and western art collection with the new collection and locate all of it downtown. Open in two years, another Kaiser project.
Looks like the 100 Arts Center is going to need a new location.
I'll bet we will hear something regarding the proposed contemporary facility soon. I'll also be willing to bet that the Kaiser Found. has something to do with that as well.
KOTV report video (//%22http://kotv.com/e-clips/?id=7269%22)
I like the brady rendering and the tribune expansion. I would hope something like the matthews rendering could happen as drawn.
The Tulsa World article made it sound like the Kaiser Foundation is purchasing the entire building. This is false.
I spoke with Ken Busby, Executive Director of the Arts and Humanities Council today, and he gave me permission to post the following information on the TulsaNow forum:
From Ken:
"As you read the article, it implies that the George Kaiser Family Foundation is purchasing the entire warehouse to develop a multi-purpose art center. Ken Levit assures me that other than the 15,000 square feet that they are donating to Philbrook to house the Adkins collection, they have no definitive plans for its use -- and wish to develop it in concert with our visual arts center.
I have a meeting next week, on July 25 with Rand Suffolk, the director of Philbrook, and Annie Van Hanken from the Kaiser Foundation to discuss collaborative endeavors. This meeting was set up three weeks ago. And I understood that any announcement about the Adkins collection and our visual arts center would come after this meeting.
This article created great consternation for those familiar with our project, and Kathy and I have received numerous calls and e-mails from artists, the media, etc., inquiring if our project is going forward or if the Kaiser Foundation is taking over the entire project. Ken Levit apologized profusely, stating that they only learned about the press conference and story on Friday -- and that David Boren was driving the timetable and agenda.
Our attorney on this project, Michael Graves, has just sent me a lease agreement between the Council and the Tulsa Development Authority to review, putting the West Half of the Mathews Warehouse under our control. After the Executive Committee reviews this contract, we will sign it and move forward.
The Advisory Board for the visual arts center will meet this Friday, July 20, and we will review this information with them.
From the beginning, as is incumbent in our mission, the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa has maintained an effort to work with other arts organizations to make the arts accessible for all Tulsans. As you know, we are actively working with these entities to partner in all components of the visual arts center and will continue to do so with the belief that this opportunity to create an entire city block dedicated to arts programming in the Brady Arts District will be a win-win for everyone involved.
Kathy and I would be happy to visit with you about any concerns or suggestions. We plan to move forward with our project over the next ten months, working through the various stages of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation planning grant that we received, and focusing on setting the stage for a successful capital campaign.
Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support."
My own personal commentary (not Ken's): Perhaps Boren was in a hurry to announce some good news related to OU after last weeks news of NCAA sanctions and major violations by the OU football team...? So like the Boomers/Sooners (I get them confused), he decided to "jump the gun" with this news release?
quote:
Originally posted by Okie2
I'm just curious why the collection was not donated to the Gilcrease museum. The collection fits with the purpose of Gilcrease, and Mr. Atkins several years ago stated that he intended to give it to the Gilcrease museum. But now a few months after the mayor announced the need of a major reorganization of Gilcrease due to it being in disarray, the Gilcrease has missed out on a major donation. Things are not looking good for the museum.
I know that this collection is small in comparison to the Gilcrease collection, and may not have gotten as much notice. But due to the high quality of the collections it would still have been displayed in a prominent way... The whole thing is puzzling too me, like there is something we are not being told.
Just watched a news clip on KOTV-6. In it they stated that they requested and got proposals from several museums. Some of which, like Tucsons proposal, would have put the collection in a historic building in central Tucson. We are apparently fortunate that OSU and Philbrook put together the winning proposal. (Not that they didn't have a bit of home turf advantage to begin with) However this OSU Philbrook proposal is a good one.
As for Gilcrease, I really think they need to be shook up a bit. It is a world class museum, let me rephrase that, it is a world class collection of art and artifacts in a mediocre facility run by "too many cooks in the kitchen". Unless they were planning a major expansion to hold this collection it could get lost and shuffled away. I have heard it said that Gilcrease has more western art and artifacts in its basement than most museums have in total.
Gilcrease needs a major overhaul. The first thing you notice when visiting is the parking lot. Sad, sad, sad. Then you walk up to a very uninspiring, out-dated, structure. The interior is well kept but there are sections that you can tell where the art appears to be put into rooms that really werent intended to be used for art. The over all plan appears to be, and indeed is, an assortment of rambling additions.
The collection at Gilcrease is to me the finest collection of art in the state, and probably the greatest collection of western art in the world, but is sorely let down by its home. Its not a terrible facility, but that collection in a great facility could be stunning in its quality, scope, and magnitude. It would easily rival any museum in the region and put to shame the american indian museum on the mall in DC, which has an impressive facility, but a comparative pittance of art and artifacts.
http://www.kotv.com/e-clips/?id=7277
I agree with your assessment. The Gilcrease is a world-class "collection" and a mediocre facility. A museum building should reflect the quality of the collection that resides inside, and the Gilcrease building simply does not do that. But it's a shame that a collection valued at over a billion dollars is mostly in storage. In listening to David Boren talk about Mr. Atkins' wishes, one thing quoted Mr. Atkins saying was he didn't want the collection to sit in storage. That may be the main reason Gilcrease didn't get the collection. I do wish that Tulsa build a facility that would truly be "world class".
I agree with your assessment of the Gilcrease facility. It certainly is adequate for displaying things, the grounds are fantastic, and the views amazing. But the building does not present the same sense of awe that the collection does.
I suppose given their mission of collecting, preserving and sharing American Indian art and heritage, they choose to invest in the collection over the building.
It is a great place to have a dinner party, reception, etc. I have been to many a fine affair in the Vista Room.
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
I agree with your assessment of the Gilcrease facility. It certainly is adequate for displaying things, the grounds are fantastic, and the views amazing. But the building does not present the same sense of awe that the collection does.
I suppose given their mission of collecting, preserving and sharing American Indian art and heritage, they choose to invest in the collection over the building.
"THEY choose to invest in the collection over the building." Perhaps it needs to be a WE should invest in a good building that better displays this wonderful collection. However the voice and push for such an initiative would most suitably start with them, if they were so inclined.