PHILBROOK MUSEUM
OFFERS FREE MEMBERSHIP
TO ALL OKLA. K- 12 TEACHERS
Philbrook Steps Up: Over 1000 teachers respond to free-membership initiative
Following last November’s election—and the
defeat of a state question that would have legislated a much-needed
raise—Philbrook Museum of Art stood up for Oklahoma public school
teachers by offering free, annual museum memberships. To date, 1046
teachers have taken advantage of the program, from 80 public-school
districts spread across the state, with more than 10 percent coming from
outside the Tulsa Metro area.
“This
small effort for teachers perfectly aligns with our commitment to
lifelong learning, community engagement, and providing access to all,”
said Philbrook Director Scott Stulen.
“Learning
and Creativity” ranks No. 1 on the Philbrook vision statement: “We
regard learning, creativity, and the investigation of ideas as a vital,
life-long pursuit. We advocate inquiry, debate, participation, and
experimentation in all our activities, programs, and practices.”
The
non-partisan, non-profit Oklahoma Policy Institute reported last
September that, of the 50 United States, Oklahoma’s 2015-2016 average
classroom teacher salary ranked 48th, ahead of only South Dakota and
Mississippi. Average salaries decreased from the previous year, the
institute reported, by more than $7,500, after accounting for inflation.
In a survey conducted in the weeks following program launch, teachers were allowed to comment anonymously on
the impact the offer was having on their classrooms, and their lives.
“Grateful,” one wrote, saying the free membership was an act to both
“support the arts and connect my students to artistic experiences.”
“Thankful,” wrote another, saying that, for she and her husband, both
teachers, “It would otherwise be a ‘luxury’ not in our family budget.”
“Thank you so much for celebrating teachers,” wrote another.
“I am not a public-school teacher, but anything that benefits my community benefits me.”
–Sarah, Facebook comment
About Philbrook
Rooted
in the beauty and architecture of an historic home gifted by the
Phillips family in 1938, Philbrook Museum of Art has grown to become one
of the preeminent art museums across the central United States.
Highlights of the Museum’s permanent collection include Renaissance and
Baroque paintings from the Kress Foundation, one of the greatest surveys
of Native American art anywhere, American and Southwestern art,
photography, and growing modern and contemporary collections. The
Philbrook main campus spans 25 acres of grounds and formal gardens, and
features an historic home, as well as a modern museum complex.
The satellite location in downtown Tulsa showcases the Philbrook modern,
contemporary, and Native American art collections, as well as the
Eugene B. Adkins Collection and Study Center of Native American art.
Philbrook Museum of Art is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday,
and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Philbrook Downtown, 116 E. M.B. Brady
St., is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon-5 p.m.
Sunday. Museum admission runs $9 for adults, $7 for seniors
and university students; Philbrook members and youth 17 and younger are
always free.
