The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is a good counterpoint to the Western and historical museums that dominate many visitor itineraries. Located downtown, it brings fine art, contemporary exhibitions and film into the centre of the trip.
One of the museum’s best-known strengths is its collection of glass by Dale Chihuly. Even if you do not normally seek out glass art, the scale, colour and theatrical quality of the work make it difficult to ignore.
More than one famous collection
The museum also holds American and European art and hosts temporary exhibitions, so what you see can change significantly between visits. I would check the current programme before going, especially if a particular exhibition is the reason for your visit.
Film is another part of the museum’s identity, with screenings adding something different from the standard gallery experience.
Easy to include downtown
Its central location makes this one of the simplest museums to work into an Oklahoma City itinerary. You can combine it with the National Memorial, Myriad Botanical Gardens or restaurants elsewhere downtown without spending much of the day in transit.
I would particularly recommend it if your trip is becoming overloaded with cowboy and frontier history. Those subjects are important here, but Oklahoma City is a modern cultural centre too. This museum is a useful reminder of that broader identity.