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Arts and Cultural Affairs reviews 2024 projects, launches map and registry and highlights new public art installations
Summary
City staff reviewed last year’s arts programs and public-art projects, announcing a new website layout, an online artist registry with 115 artists, an interactive public-art map, a quarterly newsletter and several completed or restored public artworks across Oklahoma City.
Randy Marks, program planner for Arts and Cultural Affairs, reviewed the department’s 2024 programs and public-art projects at the Oklahoma City Arts Commission meeting on Jan. 27, highlighting a redesigned website, a new Online Artist Registry, an interactive public-art map and multiple site installations and restorations completed last year.
Marks said the redesigned site (okc.gov/arts) aims to be both functional and visually representative of the arts community, and the Online Artist Registry has 115 artists registered. Marks also described an interactive map of public artwork that the office launched as phase one of a multi‑phase effort to catalogue public art citywide; a broader rollout later this year will add privately owned but publicly accessible works downtown, he said.
Marks credited staff and contractors for completing several installations and restorations across the city, including bronze restorations (noted examples: Andy Payne statue at Route 66 Park and the Landren Monument in Kerr Park), new and refurbished murals in the Paseo Arts District, Scott Henderson’s sculptures at Wheeler Park and an interactive “sound houses” installation along the Will Rogers greenway that reacts to people walking or riding nearby. Robbie Jones, special projects coordinator, managed a number of these projects, Marks said.
The commission’s members used the update to promote upcoming events. Commissioner Selyer reminded attendees that the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts will run April 24–27 in Bicentennial Park with 144 artists and multiple food vendors; Commissioners also highlighted Allied Arts’ fundraising kickoff, Oklahoma Contemporary’s Edgar Heap of Birds exhibition opening Feb. 20 and other community shows and events.
Marks described civic partnerships and grant‑funded projects. The Black Communities in Oklahoma City oral-history project received an Oklahoma Humanities grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities United We Stand program and contributed to a national convening hosted in Oklahoma City. Staff also ran workshops and mock selection panels with the Paseo Artists Association and OVAC as part of technical assistance and artist development efforts.
Commissioners and staff promoted volunteer recruitment for festival shifts and several community programming opportunities tied to the city’s cultural events calendar. The commission’s next regular meeting was announced for Feb. 17 at 4 p.m.; no further formal actions were taken during the update segment.
"We're gonna start the year by looking back," Marks said, describing the intent to present not only proposals but the outcomes of prior projects.
