THE LITTLE MERMAID
BY OKC BALLET TO BE 
PERFORMED, AND 
THE NEW ART OPENS 
AT OKCMOA THIS WEEKEND.
SEE PREVIOUS POSTS.

 Editorial
OKLAHOMA'S HOUSE
DEFEAT OF THE "STEP UP"
BILL IS A STEP DOWN
FOR OKLAHOMA STUDENTS,
TEACHERS, PARENTS,
GUARDIANS,
AND FOR OKLAHOMA.
SHAME ON THE HOUSE.
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE 
NATIONAL RANKINGS IN 
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 
DEDICATED STUDENTS
AND TEACHERS STILL 
STRUGGLE AGAINST THE
ODDS. GOOD LUCK TO THEM
AS THEY CONTINUE TO FIGHT.

By Nancy P. Condit
 

CITY REP PRESENTS
heisenberg AT
CIVIC CENTER THROUGH
FEBRUARY 11

Don't miss the show critics call "IMPORTANT, WONDERFUL and OUTSTANDING"!

Directed by Ruth Charnay

February 9th through 11th

at

The Civic Center's CitySpace Theater

TICKETS

Starring Broadway leading lady Stacey Logan, with longtime Oklahoma City favorite Ben Hall. Ms. Logan and Mr. Hall are affiliated artists with the CityRep company.

Image courtesy of City Rep

THE LITTLE MERMAID
PRESENTED BY 
OKC BALLET FEB. 16-18

The Little Mermaid will be presented February 16-18 at the Civic Center Music Hall. In this World Premiere ballet, choreographed by Artistic Director Robert Mills, we follow a young mermaid who is willing to give up her identity and her life in the sea to gain a human soul. This incredible tale of sacrifice for eternal love will feature multimedia projections, along with spectacular sets and costumes. The original choreography is inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen story but with a twist that only Mr. Mills can bring to the stage. This version will not have any singing lobsters, but will instead feature video projections and the music of Alexander Zemlinksy, Alexander Borodin, and other classical composers of the era.  Please call our box office at (405) 848-TOES (8637) or www.okcballet.org./performance/the-little-mermaid/

You may also call the Civic Center Music Hall at 297-2264.

2-Performance Season Tickets are still available!  

Call 405-848-8637 to get all the benefits of a Season Subscription!

OKC BALLET CHOOSES
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JO LYNNE JONES

OKC Ballet Announces New Executive Director

Jo Lynne Jones, new Executive Director, OKC Ballet.

Oklahoma City Ballet is thrilled to announce the hiring of Jo Lynne Jones as the John Kirkpatrick Executive Director. Jones comes to Oklahoma City Ballet from Infant Crisis Services, an Oklahoma City nonprofit where she served 16 years, most recently as Director of Development and Communications. Before her tenure in nonprofit, Jones worked in the broadcast industry as a news reporter and anchor.
“I enjoyed meeting Jo very much.  We hit it off right away.  I am excited for her to bring her vast experience in nonprofit leadership to our team at Oklahoma City Ballet,”  said  Robert Mills, Artistic Director of Oklahoma City Ballet.
“It is an honor to join the talented staff of Oklahoma City Ballet, one of the city’s premiere cultural institutions,” said Jones. “Like so many young girls, I, too, grew up dreaming of being a ballerina. While I didn’t pursue that artistic path, I know that my calling as a nonprofit leader will serve me well in this new and exciting position. I am thrilled to lead an organization of distinction in our community, and I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, patrons, administration and artistic staff of this illustrious company.”
As the John Kirkpatrick Executive Director, Jones will take the helm of the organization during a very exciting time for the Ballet. A capital campaign has been underway for a little over a year, and is 91% to goal as renovations continue in the new facility at 6800 North Classen.  
In addition to her nonprofit career, Jones is also a board member for Brave Woman, a national organization giving voice to domestic abuse survivors. She serves as past president of the Oklahoma chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Oklahoma County Bar Auxiliary. She is a member of Leadership Oklahoma City Class 30 and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Jones is married to Tom Mullen, an attorney, and they have two sons.
“Jo is a perfect fit for us.  She is enthusiastic about our company, our performances and especially our community involvement.,” said Sally Nichols-Starling, Board of Trustees President. “ She comes to us at a crucial time as we continue the move into our new iconic dance center.  With Jo as our Executive Director, we look forward to continued growth and recognition on a national level.”
The John Kirkpatrick Executive Directorship is a newly endowed position, with the endowment  gift coming from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. The position was named for John E. Kirkpatrick, who was an integral part of the founding of Oklahoma City Ballet with Yvonne Choteau and Miguel Terekhov.

# # #
About Oklahoma City Ballet: Founded in 1972 by Ballet Russe dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov, Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city’s professional ballet company for 46 years. It is the resident dance Company of the Civic Center Music Hall and currently boasts dancers from around the world. Led by Artistic Director Robert Mills, the Company produces five main stage productions per season in Oklahoma City and tours across Oklahoma and the surrounding states. Oklahoma City Ballet restages the classics in addition to neo classical and other works of the 20th century. It also regularly commissions new works from the industry’s leading choreographers.

MISS BROWN TO YOU
FEBRUARY & MARCH

The Park Pigeon Occasional Vol. 20 No. 2

Zannotti's: Friday, February 2nd They say that if you see Miss Brown's shadow on Ground Hog Day, It will be at least four weeks before you see them in Stillwater again. From 7 - 10 pm, it will be party time at Downtown Stilly's best wine joint. Join us!

Full Circle: Saturday, February 3rd We're back for our monthly Unmitigated Good Time at the Book Store. 7:30 - 9:30: wine, beers, snacks, good music, and Civilization.

Miss Brown Quartet at UCO! This will be our Valentine's Special! 8 - 10:30, $10 cover. For tickets click here.

The Incredible Repeating Calendar... Saturday, March 3rd: Full Circle Book Store. Probably feature some Celtic music. Another excuse to play "Days of Auld Lang Syne?" Bring it. And Friday, March 9th, UCO Jazz Lab: sounds like a good night to bring back "The Lakes of the Pontchartrain...

Don't want ya'll to miss it... ...if you like Joni Mitchell music. The Tribute Nights are Friday and Saturday, April 13 - 14. The featured album this year: "Ladies of the Canyon." For tickets click here.

THE NEW ART CELEBRATES
ACQUISITION OF
WASHINGTON GALLERY OF
MODERN ART COLLECTION
50 YEAR LATER
AT THE OKCMOA 
OPENING SAT. FEB. 17TH

“The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later” opens Feb. 17

New exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of transformative OKCMOA acquisition

Robert Indiana, Coenties Slip, oil on canvas, 1962, 60 x 48 inches,
OKCMOA purchase, Washington Gallery of Modern Art Collection, l968.
Courtesy of OKCMOA. Photo by Joseph Mills

In 1968, the Oklahoma Art Center (the predecessor to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art) purchased the 154 piece collection of the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, transforming Oklahoma City’s collection of contemporary art. Opening Saturday, Feb. 17 on OKCMOA’s first floor, “The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later,” will feature 52 works from this collection, including paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings.

“The acquisition of this collection by the Oklahoma Art Center was both visionary and courageous,” said President and CEO E. Michael Whittington. “At the time, many of the artists represented here were at the beginning of their careers. Since then, these artists and their work have become the definitive examples of early Contemporary American art. This exhibition celebrates these important works of art and the significant legacy of arts leaders in Oklahoma City during the late 1960s.”

David Park, Double Portrait, 1959, oil on canvas, 44 by 50 inches,

OKCMOA purchase, Washington Gallery of Modern Art Collection, 1968.

Courtesy of OKCMOA. Photo by Bryan Cook

“The Washington Gallery of Modern art transformed the Washington, D.C. art scene and brought focus and interest to D.C. as a leader in contemporary art,” added Director of Curatorial Affairs Dr. Michael J. Anderson. “We are lucky to have these incredible artworks here in Oklahoma City permanently. Not only has this helped establish the city as a leading collector of abstract expressionism, post painterly abstraction, color field painting, minimalism, and pop art but it has helped spur additional gifts, including 125 works from the Paul and Esther Reed Trust by Washington Color School artist Paul Reed.”

Blogger's note: Ellsworth Kelly's Red Blue, 1968, was not able to be accurately copied from the painting
through the internet. If you get a chance to see the collection at the museum, I urge you to look for this
90 x 69 1/2 inch painting for the meeting of the vibrancy, as curator Roja Najahi says, of the vertical red stripe through the center of the deep blue background. 
 

Open from 1961 to 1968, the Washington Gallery of Modern Art brought recognition to D.C.’s contemporary art scene. Among the many groundbreaking shows, the Gallery’s exhibition of the “Washington Color Painters” featuring works by Washington-based artists defined the most important movement of the nation’s capital: Washington Color School. When the Washington Gallery of Modern Art closed in 1968, due to increasing competition among Washington museums to exhibit contemporary art, the Oklahoma Art Center made the bold decision to purchase this historically significant collection.

Exhibition highlights include works by Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, Grace Hartigan, Sam Gilliam, Robert Indiana and Paul Reed, along with rarely shown works by Morris Louis, Ruth Vollmer, Lee Bontecou and John Latham.

Adult admission is $12, with discounts available for seniors, students and members of the military. Admission for Museum members is always free.

The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.