The Oklahoma Arts Council has announced that Wanda Otey Westheimer of Ardmore has been reappointed as chair of the State Art Collection Committee.
Under Westheimer’s leadership, the first permanent exhibition space dedicated exclusively for the State Art Collection opened in November 2007 and is located in the Betty Price People’s Gallery on the first floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol. The collection is a visual anthology of the history of artistic expression in Oklahoma and is curated by the Oklahoma Arts Council. The gallery is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
As chair of the State Art Collection Committee, Westheimer said it is the current goal of the organization to highlight more works from Oklahoma artists in the State Capitol building so that visitors will see firsthand the talent the state has to offer in the visual fields.
The council hopes to garner more additions to its collections from across the state and that works will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Amber Sharples is the arts council member who works with Westeheimer to help stimulate the state artists collection for the public.
The current exhibition features nearly 100 works of art by artists who were born in, trained in or have produced a significant portion of their work in the state. Since 2007, when Westheimer was named chair of the State Art Collection Committee, the State of Oklahoma has added works to the collection by some of the state’s most significant artists such as Eugene Bavinger, Charles Banks Wilson, Jim Waid, Michi Susan and Dick Goetz.
The collection was established by the Oklahoma Arts and Humanities Council in January 1971 to collect and preserve the work of Oklahoma artists. The collection is a visual anthology of the history of artistic expression in Oklahoma.
Under the leadership of Jerome Westheimer Sr., and the founding State Art Collection Committee members, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded a grant to the Oklahoma Arts and Humanities Council to purchase works for the collection.
Ann Dee Lee, public information director for the Oklahoma Arts Council, 2101 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 640, in Oklahoma City, said those who think they have works of art that would be suitable for inclusion at the Capitol should call the arts council at (405) 521-2853 so a representative can travel to the location to evaluate the work to see if it will fit in with the quality of art that will be displayed. Art should not be brought to the Capitol itself.
To contact Lee, e-mails can be sent to anndee@arts.ok.gov.
