USAO to Open Oklahoma Arts Institute Tour
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma’s Nesbitt Gallery and the Gallery at Nash Library are proud to launch Fifty Years Forward, a major statewide exhibition celebrating the golden anniversary of the Oklahoma Arts Institute.
The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, October 24th, at 6 p.m. at USAO. Admission is free, and the collection will remain on display at the university through November 13th before embarking on a tour to museums and galleries across Oklahoma.
Drawing from a larger permanent collection, Fifty Years Forward highlights masterworks created by renowned artists who have instructed students at the historic Quartz Mountain workshops over the last half-century.
“The Nesbitt Gallery is honored to kick off the Fifty Years Forward exhibition as it begins its tour throughout Oklahoma,” said Layne Thrift, Professor of Art and Director of Nesbitt Gallery. “It has been my pleasure and privilege to have worked with the folks at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, for more than a year, on putting this fascinating exhibit together. It is an extraordinary chance to see the work created by some of the renowned artists that have instructed Quartz Mountain workshops for the past 50 years.”
For nearly half a century, The Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain has served as a transformative incubator for artists across all disciplines. Since 1977, the institute has provided emerging creatives with deep, immersive instruction from celebrated masters who are recruited from around the globe through traditional hiring and extensive professional networks.
From its origins as a small local gathering, Quartz Mountain has grown to host approximately 250 students during its workshop seasons. Immersed in rigorous schedules spending six or more hours a day in workshops, students also enjoy unique opportunities for collaboration, bridging disciplines such as dance, visual arts, and other various departments.
Following its debut at USAO, the Fifty Years Forward tour will travel to four additional Oklahoma communities: Bartlesville, Idabel, Lawton, and Ardmore.
About the Nesbitt Art Gallery:
The Nesbitt Art Gallery on the campus of the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma was established in June 1997 as the USAO Art Gallery and rechristened in May 2012 to honor the family of Charles and Margôt Nesbitt. The Nesbitt Gallery has the particular mission to promote the visual arts of the Central Oklahoma Region with a special concern for the expressions of the diverse cultures and the role that educators have played in forming those expressions. While its permanent collection is weighted to support this mission, it also contains other works of art both of historic and contemporary significance.
Contact: Hannah Thompson | 405-574-1362