The Philbrook Museum of Art announces the opening of Philbrook Downtown, a satellite space located in the heart of Tulsa’s vibrant Brady Arts District. The expansion enables Philbrook, Tulsa’s leading cultural institution, to showcase its notable collections while serving as the anchor of a burgeoning arts community in the city’s center.
Designed by Richard Gluckman, principal of the New York-based firm Gluckman Mayner Architects, the conversion of the early 20th-century industrial warehouse contains three distinct but interrelated initiatives: the display of modern and contemporary art and Native American art, as well as a robust research and programming agenda.
The first level fuses Philbrook’s growing collection of modern and contemporary art with a consistent presentation of innovative arts programming. Exhibitions highlighting important work in conventional as well as new media and programs will focus on quality and inclusivity thus presenting artists of diverse influences, ethnicities, and genders.
The second level focuses on the Museum’s exceptional Native American collection. Philbrook was awarded the high-quality, extensive, and well-documented Adkins Collection of Native American and Southwestern Art in 2007 (approximately 1,800 objects) making its collection of Native American art one of the best in the nation. Combined, these collections present one of the finest surveys of 20th century Native American art anywhere.
Adjacent to the exhibition space, the second level will also house The Eugene B. Adkins Study Center. The Center integrates Philbrook’s outstanding artwork, special collections from the Museum’s H. A. & Mary K. Chapman Library, and Eugene Adkins’s personal archives. The Center will again position Philbrook at the forefront of this important dialogue regarding Native American art and culture since the Indian Annual juried competition served as a vital outlet for Native American fine art from 1949 to 1976.
Two transformational gifts — from the Eugene B. Adkins Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) – spurred Philbrook to develop this new satellite facility in Tulsa’s historic Brady District. The GKFF’s generous provision of 30,000 square feet within the former Mathews Warehouse is less than three miles from the original 23-acre Philbrook campus, which includes a historic home, modern museum complex, and pristine gardens. http://philbrook.org