NORMAN, Okla. – A historic walking tour of Guthrie is scheduled at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, in conjunction with a new exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman.
Ron Frantz, associate professor in the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture, will lead the tour. Participants will explore the Eastern European-influenced architecture of Oklahoma Territory’s historic capital. Transportation to Guthrie will not be provided; participants will meet in Guthrie at the northwest corner of Harrison Avenue and Division Street to begin the tour.
The event is one of three scheduled over as many days, starting with a symposium Nov. 3 and a family night Nov. 4. Both events are scheduled at the museum on the OU Norman campus. All events are complimentary and open to the public. The programs are tied to Picturing Indian Territory, 1819-1907, an exhibition that explores Oklahoma history through art, which opened at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in early October.
Picturing Indian Territory is the first of its kind: a scholarly examination of the visual history of Oklahoma and its previous incarnations as Indian and Oklahoma Territories, as told through the eyes of the artists who visited the land over the course of nearly a century. The exhibition is on display through Dec. 30 in the museum’s Nancy Johnston Records Gallery. It is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Norman Arts Council Grant Program.
“This exhibition provides an opportunity to see how artists, illustrators and journalists constructed an image of life in the Indian and Oklahoma Territories for a larger national and international audience,” said Mark White, the museum’s Wylodean and Bill Saxon Director and co-curator of Picturing Indian Territory. “Visitors may be surprised to see the unique outsider’s perspective presented in the historic works on display.”
Picturing Indian Territory surveys how the people, land and history of Oklahoma were constructed visually from the early decades of the 19th century before and after the creation of Indian Territory in 1834; to the inception of Oklahoma Territory in 1890; and finally to the unification of Indian and Oklahoma Territories to create the state of Oklahoma in 1907.
The symposium, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the museum’s Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium, will feature guest speakers Sterling Evans from the OU history department; Clara Sue Kidwell, former director of the American Indian Center at the University of North Carolina; Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society; and Dan Flores of the University of Montana. The symposium explores the rich and often complicated history of the Indian and Oklahoma Territories, including the tragedy of Indian removal and calls for the settlement of Oklahoma.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Edward Everett Dale Society of the OU Western History Collection.
Families are invited to Night at the Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, which features crafts, a rope-twirler, a Kiowa fancy dancer and other kid-friendly activities. An educational space within the exhibition provides additional hands-on art activities and a picture hunt encouraging visitors to look more closely at the works in the show. Visitors may enjoy a selection of trail mix provided by OU Housing and Food Services.
These events are complimentary and open to the public.
Additionally, the museum has created an iTunes U course and online film series entitled Off-Site: Picturing Indian Territory, 1819-1907.
More information about Picturing Indian Territory and programs is available on the museum’s website at www.ou.edu/fjjma.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors, thanks to the generosity of the OU Office of the President and the OU Athletics Department. The museum is closed on Mondays. Information and accommodations on the basis of disability are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting www.ou.edu/fjjma.
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