The Skimmseum: See the

Pyramids Along the Nile (or on

our roof)
POSTED ON MARCH 20, 2015

Welcome to theSkimmseum. Weve skimmed the news around the museum, and
want to share the highlights with you.
Skimmd while on my eleventh cup of coffee.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us. Winston Churchill

ARTCEPTION: ART WITHIN THE

ART
THE STORY
When you have an enormous collection of beautiful artwork, the logical necessity
is an equally beautiful place for that art to be on display. Here at the Fred Jones,
were lucky to have a gorgeously designed building, with detailed and unusual
architecture. Back in 1971, the original building (the Fred Jones Jr. Memorial Art
Center) was built, thanks to a donation by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jones of Oklahoma
City. This building housed the University of Oklahoma Museum of Art, the School
of Art, and the administrative offices of the College of Fine Arts. In 1992, our
space finally officially became the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Artand all was right
with the world.

EXPLAIN MORE THINGS.

Even though we finally had our cool new name, we werent done going through
puberty yet. In 2005, the museum opened a new addition, designed by
acclaimed architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen of Washington, D.C. Named to honor
Mary and Howard Lester of San Francisco, the Lester Wing adds more than
34,000 square feet to the earlier 27,000 square-foot building. The Lester
Wing includes the galleries that house the Weitzenhoffer Collection (remember
that?), a 150-seat auditorium, an orientation room, a classroom, a museum store,
a new main entrance, and new galleries. Jacobsen definitely has an identifiable
style, as you can see by comparing this house he designed to the museum. The
museum addition that he designed was referred to by one article as Little Huts
on the Prairie. The idea behind the design was that most art is created to be
viewed in homesso he brought homes to the art. Each little hut is about the
size of a room, allowing visitors to enjoy art in the kind of space it was created to
fill. After the new addition, it got us thinking about renovating the original 1971
building. We followed in the footsteps of Meg Ryan and got some work done.
Thankfully though, our facelift turned out much better than hers and, in 2011,

the Stuart Wing was officially opened. This wing holds many of the collections
acquired within the past 15 years. It was designed by noted architect Rand Elliott.
Sound familiar? You can especially see Elliotts work around central Oklahoma
like hereand here. Back to the museum, the Stuart Wing was named in honor of a
$3 million lead gift from the Stuart Family Foundation and includes the Eugene B.
Adkins Gallery, a new photography gallery, and new administrative offices.

WHATS SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

Our building isnt just another pretty face. Every aspect of the architecture has a
unique meaning behind it. Remember us mentioning the Eugene B. Adkins
Collection that one (millionth) time? It happens to be among the nations most
important private collections of works by the Taos Society of Artists, as well as
Native American works of art. NBD. Its grand total comes to more than 3,300
objects, including 1,100 two-dimensional works, 370 pieces of pottery, and more
than 1,600 examples of jewelry and silverwork, and nearly 250 pieces of other
Native arts. The concept for the museum is actually inspired by the forms, color,
and landscapes that are found in the paintings, photography, and artifacts of the
collection. The abstract interpretation of the contents connects the time and
place of the subject matter and places it in the 21st Century space.

IM JUST NOT SEEING HOW THE BUILDING LOOKS LIKE

THE ART.
See the central staircase with the rising wood sidewalls? Thats supposed to
suggest a beautiful canyon in the American Southwest. The sunset window in the
Stuart Wing is rarely open, because sunlight can easily damage the art. When
it is open, however, the peaks of the unique pyramid roof design peep into view,
resembling mountains on the horizon. After a hike up to the mezzanine, the thick
mobile walls are clearly visible, giving visitors the impression of a less-colorful
adobe. A frequent element found in the collection is water. This is represented by
our 55-foot, 3-story blue moir wall. It is directly adjacent to the central staircase
that travels from the basement to the top of the building. The Stuart Wing acts as
the architectural bridge between the 1971 Fred Jones Jr. Art Center (a.k.a. the
School of Art & Art History) and the 2005 Lester Wing. The Stuart Wing connects
the buildings with horizontal lines, the gray slate roof color, and compatible
proportions to create a unified composition. The exterior gray glass reflects the
sky and clouds, suggesting the painted skies within the gallery, and hinting at the
contents of the museum.

REPEAT AFTER ME
WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR SKINNY FRIEND JUST
FINISHED HER TWO CHEESE BURGERS AND ASKS IF YOU
WANT TO ORDER A PIZZA
Yes. But also, where do you put it all? This question is probably pretty applicable
to our collection of art, too. We keep throwing out these huge numbers to

quantify how many objects exist in our collections, and youre probably
wondering where it all goes. Heres the rundown:
40,000 square feet of exhibition space between the two wings
17,000 works of art in our permanent collection
1,293 works on display
88-percent of the collection currently stored in the vaults

THINGS TO KNOW
Leigh: Not the flower necklace they give you when you get off the plane in
Hawaii. William R. Leigh was an American artist who specialized in scenes
depicting the West. Were fortunate enough to have a couple of his works nestled
into the Adkins Collection.
Jacobson v. Jacobsen: There wasnt a court case about them, theyre just both
influential figures in our museum history. Its easy to get them confused. When I
first started working here, I didnt catch the subtle one-letter difference, and
thought that Oscar B. Jacobson was still alive and designing buildings at the age
of133? Something seemed fishy about that. So what you need to know is
this: Jacobson = art director. Jacobsen = architect. If you cant keep it straight,
just remember that director and Jacobson have an o, and Jacobsen and
architect have an e. Youre welcome.