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| Hardesty Arts Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hardesty Arts Center |
| Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Established | 2007 |
| Type | Arts center |
| Director | (varies) |
| Architect | Rand Elliott Architects |
| Publictransit | Oklahoma City Streetcar |
Hardesty Arts Center is a multidisciplinary arts facility located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, developed as part of urban revitalization efforts and cultural investment. The center serves as a venue for visual arts, performing arts, community programming, and academic collaboration with regional institutions and national organizations. It functions within a network of museums, theaters, galleries, and urban redevelopment projects that includes partnerships with municipal agencies, private foundations, and arts councils.
The center opened amid municipal initiatives involving the Oklahoma City municipal cultural strategy, the Myriad Botanical Gardens development, and the broader downtown renewal influenced by projects like the Bricktown entertainment district and the Cox Convention Center redevelopment. Its founding drew support from philanthropic entities such as the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, and professionals associated with the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the National Endowment for the Arts. Early programming aligned with festivals including Festival of the Arts and collaborative outreach with academic partners like the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City University.
The building's design reflects the portfolio of Rand Elliott Architects and regional modernist tendencies linked to practices seen in projects by firms such as Marek Architects and architects influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. Exterior materials and structural systems reference civic projects like the Oklahoma State Capitol renovation and contemporary sites such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, incorporating daylighting strategies used in galleries like the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Site planning connects to urban infrastructure exemplified by the Oklahoma City Streetcar alignment and public spaces modeled on plazas adjacent to the Myriad Botanical Gardens and Scissortail Park.
The center houses multiple galleries, flexible black box theaters, rehearsal studios, and classrooms comparable to facilities at the Walker Art Center, the Whitney Museum, and university art complexes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and California Institute of the Arts. Exhibition spaces support installations in formats seen at the Tate Modern, salon-style displays of the Frick Collection, and rotating galleries like those at the Contemporary Arts Center. Support spaces include conservation labs akin to those at the Smithsonian Institution museums and maker spaces inspired by MIT Media Lab and community workshops modeled after the Hayden Hallmakerspaces.
Programming spans visual arts exhibitions, performance series, lecture cycles, and festivals, aligning with events such as the Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, Red Earth Festival, and touring exhibitions affiliated with the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The center has presented artist talks, film screenings, and symposiums with curators and scholars from institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Trust. Seasonal programming connects to civic celebrations such as Juneteenth commemorations and civic arts initiatives linked to the National Endowment for the Humanities and state arts agencies.
Collections policy emphasizes contemporary works, regional art, and traveling exhibitions sourced through networks involving the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and university collections at Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma. Exhibitions have featured painting, sculpture, multimedia, and installation practices associated with artists represented by galleries like the Gagosian Gallery, David Zwirner, and nonprofit spaces such as Artspace. Curatorial collaborations have been mounted with curators who previously worked at the Tate Modern, the Brooklyn Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Educational initiatives coordinate with K–12 partnerships, higher-education art departments, and workforce development programs similar to collaborations between the Cooper Hewitt and local school districts. Outreach includes school tours, artist residencies modeled after programs at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the MacDowell Colony, and allied services with cultural equity efforts promoted by the National Endowment for the Arts and statewide arts councils. Community engagement strategies draw on models from the Cabrini-Green redevelopment outreach, university-community partnerships like those at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and regional service organizations.
Exhibitions have included works by regional and national artists linked to movements represented by figures such as John Chamberlain, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, and contemporary practitioners who have shown at venues like The Kitchen and New Museum. The center has hosted installations by artists in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and works circulated through organizations like the International Council of Museums and the Arts Council England.
Category:Arts centers in Oklahoma Category:Buildings and structures in Oklahoma City