Tulsa Museums

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by pmcalk

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

I would love to see a science museum with emphasis on energy or geology in the zoo or on the same campus as the air and space museum.  I think all of those things compliment each other and would anchor those areas as more of a destination and educational opportunity for school field trips.  

I think a great museum for downtown would be a Modern Art Museum.

Went to the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art a while back.  They have an impressive collection and it is well done.  My only complaint is that it needs some paintings, some color, felt kind of depressing without that kind of art.  

While I would like to see a Science/energy museum anywhere, I don't think that placing it near the zoo or the air & space museum is necessary.  Not that it would be bad, but I don't think museums, like restaurants & bars, require some sort of critical mass to be successful.  Usually, when you go to a museum, provided it's a decent size museum, you do so with the expectation of remaining the entire time at one museum.  Rarely do I museum hop with my kids.  

My hope would be for a science museum that becomes a significant attraction, which is why I would like it downtown.  I would love to see people coming from out of town to the museum, and then walking through a (soon-to-be) vibrant downtown.  Maybe shopping a little, getting lunch or dinner, etc....  Unfortunately, Mohawk and vicinity have very little to offer outside a great zoo and air & space museum.

A modern art museum would be good downtown, too, though it could work near Philbrook or Gilcrease as well.

When I think of downtowns and museums It usually conjures up either modern art or a Natural History Museum in my mind.  So perhaps a Natural History Museum that has a section for children and energy/geology.  Or the best scenario for a science museum at the planetarium, would be for them to be connected, not down the block a ways so you are not really museum hopping but just enjoying different sections of a larger museum.  Our air and space museum is new and fairly small but with the added interest of a science museum it could become a bigger attraction.  Either way, an expanded Natural History museum downtown or adding on to the air and space museum would be great. It just seems that Tulsa is unlikely to have any of those museums be huge attractions so combining a couple of similar things together would make that one destination more interesting and attractive vrs having lots of small, so so museums that you can walk through in an hour or two.

[pmcalk]

quote:Originally posted by si_uk_lon_ok

quote:Originally posted by pmcalk

quote:Originally posted by si_uk_lon_ok

quote:Originally posted by Johnboy976


Native American Museum of History

I really like this idea. I think Tulsa has the potential to house a museum that really could become the national collection for Native American history and artefacts. It could be combined with the sizable collection at the Gilcrease and could extend to a history of all the Native Americans including the Aztecs, Mayans and more. I bet we could get some amazing stuff on loan for it from other museums in central and South America.

Was this what was invisioned for the Native American Culture Center that was suppose to be on Turkey Mountain?

Maybe, I've never heard of that though.

This is what I was referring to:

http://www.vision2025.info/category.php?mode=&category=americanindianculturalcenter,
http://www.indianmonument.org/

I don't know what the status is with respect to fundraising.

[BixB]

Has anyone been to City Museum in St. Louis?  If you haven't, its kind of a funky giant adult jungle gym interactive art gallery. I know it sounds strange but its very cool and a lot of fun. Check it out at http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp  

I'd like to see us create something like City Museum in Tulsa.  Not a replica, but along those lines with a mix of elements that reflect our city history and culture.  It could include science, natural history, stuff about oil production, Indian and pioneer heritage, architecture and Modern Art all in one big imaginative interactive package.

I'm sure the more creative people in town could make it something amazing, and much more unique than a traditional museum dedicated to any one of those subjects.

BTW, I like the idea of using the Abundant Life Building for any of the museums being suggested.

[TheArtist]

^Wow that St Louis Museum is like a breath of fresh air that breaks the traditional mold for museum/entertainment/dining.  Its a wild, quirky, whimsical, educational, fun jumble of so many things. You could definitely take that idea, pump it up and run with it in so many directions.