DOWNTOWN OKC
GATHERS MANY EVENTS
IN OKC ON ITS WEBSITE

DOWN TOWN OKC has listed a tremendous number of happenings and things to do in OKC from

Saturday through January, from ice skating, through the OKC Museum of Art, to water taxis -- take out the commas for a really interesting holiday season. Please follow the link to the events: downtownokc.com.

THE MESHUGA NUTCRACKER
MOVIE AT TINSELTOWN,
QUAIL 24 & SPOTLIGHT 
STADIUM 14 TUES. DEC. 19, 7 p.

Rating

PG

Runtime

130 min

Synopsis

Fathom events and Guggenheim Entertainment present The MeshugaNutcracker! – The Chanukah Musical in select cinemas nationwide for a special one-night event on Tuesday, December 19. This musical comedy features the wonderfully silly sensibilities of the folklore of Chelm (a fictional town of fools) underscored by an invigorating Klezmer-ized orchestration of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,” including original lyrics that celebrate Chanukah. Add in dancing dreidels, singing sufganiot, and surprise guest stars and you have the perfect recipe for a holiday outing! Jews and non-Jews alike will delight in this original musical celebrating all things Chanukah.

 

[ARTSPACE] AT UNTITLED
IS HAVING A GIFT SALE,
COMEDIC PERFORMANCE,
AND GIFT MAKING WKSHP
THIS WEEK.

Please follow the link for more complete information:
https://www.1ne3.org/ . [Artspace] is open

Tues - Sat: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Closed: Sun & Mon | Free & open to the public | 405.815.9995
1 NE 3rd St Oklahoma City, OK 73104 | © 2017 by Untitled [Artspace]

 

Commentary
R.A.C.E.'S HIP-HOP
NUTCRACKER 
PRESENT 150
HIGH SCHOOL 
DANCERS IN GREAT
SHOW

By Nancy Condit

Last night's performance of R.A.C.E. Dance Company's Hip-Hop Nutcracker, under the direction of R.A.C.E.'s artistic director Hui Cha Poos and the school's dance teachers, brought over 150 dancers
together from seven high schools, one elementary school, R.A.C.E Dance Company, the Men of RACE, Junior and Teen RACE together in a hip-hopping, break dancing, freeze frame, Janet and Michael Jackson style moves, backward somersaulting performance that reverberated through Oklahoma City Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center. 

The action of bringing so many schools and companies together is quite mind boggling, and speaks to the passion for dance in Oklahoma City, and the hope that we have for future dancers of mature calibre in Oklahoma City.  

Performances continue at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m., Saturday, December 9th at O.C.C.C. located at 7777 S May Ave. in Oklahoma City. Oh, and there were also the more traditional contemporary and jazz  dance moves.

Of particular mention were Daxton Grier Anderson, the grade schooler who danced the part of Carlos, the son being brought up by his single mother, Justyce James - Mom, and Christopher James -- the Nutcracker, his absent father, who takes him through "The Land of Possibilities" after Carlos has fallen asleep.

The schools performing individual dances included Capitol Hill High School, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Northwest Classen High School, Oklahoma Centennial High School, Putnam City North High School, Southeast High School, and U.S. Grant High School, and the elementary students of Prairie Dance Junior Company.

HHN tells the story of a young man who searches for something missing from his life, only to discover that "it,” exists within himself. The take away for the audience is a message of perseverance, family and holiday spirit, writes Hui Cha Poos, following her mission statement for R.A.C.E.

Individual tickets can be purchased for $20 online at tickets.occc.edu or $25 at the door. For more information about HHN, visit: racedance.com.

Commentary

OCU'S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 
FROTHY PRECISION BDWY TREAT

By Nancy Condit

Over 130 American Spirit Dancers, directed by Jo Rowan, performed a jazzy, lyrical, tapping - including rhythm, ballet, gospel Broadway style show last night at Oklahoma City University. Favorites like the "March of the Toy Soldiers" and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" with "Five More Days til Christmas" - and Chanukah were back, along with the "Baking Cookies" with 
gingerbread people in cookie costumes and the lovely lyrical "Song for a Winter's Night."

The program was was very enjoyable, and the Rockettes style precision dances with up to
four rows deep of dancers were really very good.

"Home for the Holidays" runs Dec. 7 through 10 in Oklahoma City University’s Kirkpatrick Auditorium at 2501 N. Blackwelder Ave.

Show times are 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9, and 2 p.m. Dec. 9 and 10. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling 405-208-5227 or visiting okcu.edu/tickets. Group rates are available.

 

ART-FILLED HOLIDAYS AT
OKCMOA WITH VISITORS
17 AND YOUNGER ADMITTED
FREE IN LATE DECEMBER

This holiday season, visitors to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art can see unconventional holiday films - part of the "Christmas for Grown-Ups" film series - create prints to take home with  [Artspace] at Untitled in the Winter Break Printers' Workshop and watch the Opening Night fireworks from the Museum's Roof Terrace. Plus, the Museum will offer free admission for visitors 17 and younger from Dec. 26 through 31.  

"We are thrilled to work with [Artspace] at Untitled to transform our Museum classrooms into an immersive printmaking environment the week after Christmas," said Tracy Truels, director of learning and engagement. "We will have large prints lining the walls for inspiration and multiple printmaking stations available. With free admission for kids and teens, we are excited to offer families an inexpensive opportunity to experience the Museum's galleries and hands-on activities this winter break."

The Winter Break Printers' Workshop will be open Dec. 27 through 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. each day. Museum Teaching Artist Erin Latham and members of the [Artspace] team will be on hand to assist visitors as they create their own print to take home.

Special exhibitions on view include "The Question of Beauty," "The Art of Oklahoma" and "Master Strokes: Dutch and Flemish Drawings from the Golden Age." Ongoing activities include a new mobile guide and app; OKCMOA Discovery Packs, free with admission; and the "Master Strokes" drawing studio where guests can sketch a still life to take home while surrounded by the drawings of artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Sir Anthony van Dyck and Rembrandt van Rijn.

From Dec. 21 through Dec. 31, Museum Films presents "Christmas for Grown-Ups," featuring 12 Christmas cult classics and hidden holiday gems. Of particular interest is a screening of "Die Hard" for those who want a diversion on Christmas Eve. It screens at 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 complete with the usual Museum Films fully stocked bar. Museum Films will also be presenting four titles on 35mm film, including "The Thin Man" on Dec. 29.

The Museum Cafe will again offer holiday meals to-go. The deadline to order meals, designed for two or for eight complete with main course, sides and dessert, is Dec. 20. Meals can be picked up at the Museum Cafe on Dec. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m.

OKCMOA has space for private events and holiday parties this December. From an intimate seated dinner in the Mezzanine, to screening a holiday film in the 250-seat Samuel Roberts Noble Theater, to a cocktail reception in Founders Hall and time in the galleries, OKCMOA has a private event option to fit every budget and interest. Learn more by contacting Elizabeth Roewe at events@okcmoa.com or (405) 278-8286 for details. 

The Museum will close at 3 p.m. Christmas Eve and be closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

There are several ways to enjoy the Museum on New Year's Eve:

• The Museum galleries will be open noon to 5 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. 
• Guests looking for additional entertainment options can enjoy Opening Night events, including performances by The House Session and OKC Improv, with an Opening Night wristband. An Opening Night wristband also includes admission to the galleries.
• The Museum will offer a special ticket to the Roof Terrace to view the Opening Night fireworks. The Roof Terrace will be open 11:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. and a ticket includes a midnight champagne toast (one glass of champagne).
• The Museum Cafe will offer a set menu for New Year's Eve. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling (405) 235-6262. Dining at the Museum Cafe includes a ticket to the Roof Terrace champagne toast.

For a full list of events visit www.okcmoa.com/holidays-at-okcmoa-2017/ 

THE ART OF OKLAHOMA 
ON EXHIBIT AT OKCMOA

OSCAR JACOBSON'S WORK PART OF THE EXHIBITION ON VIEW AT OKCMOA

"The Art of Oklahoma," opened Nov. 2nd at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the 110th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood. It runs through Sept. 2, 2018.

The installation features a selection of paintings, prints and photographs spanning 100 years and ranging in style from Impressionism and documentary photography to geometric abstraction and hyperrealism. Curated from the Museum's permanent collection, the exhibition includes works by Oscar Brousse Jacobson, Nellie Shepherd, David Fitzgerald and Woody Big Bow, among others.

"The Museum has an outstanding collection of art created by or about Oklahomans, and we are excited to showcase these works together," said Dr. Michael J. Anderson, director of curatorial affairs. "While no exhibition about the art of the state can present every option open to Oklahoma artists, we do believe this showcase represents a diversity of artistic voices, subjects, mediums and stylistic strategies. Ultimately it is our belief that there is no single art of Oklahoma. Rather, there is a great variety that models itself on the multi-faceted identity of Oklahoma as a whole."

Featured are artists including Nan Sheets, David Fitzgerald, Otto Duecker, Oscar Brousse Jacobsen and Doel Reed, all of whom helped shape the direction of art in Oklahoma. "Opening on the 110th anniversary of statehood," Anderson added, "is a wonderful way to honor their legacy, and those of the generations that followed them."

"The Art of Oklahoma" also will feature "The Oklahoma Land Rush" by John Steuart Curry, one of the premier American regionalist painters of the last century. This large oil sketch, created in preparation for a larger New Deal mural, is on loan from the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C.

The exhibition, opening on the Museum's second floor, will include 23 works by 19 artists. Many of the artists featured were either born in or studied in Oklahoma. The remaining works feature Oklahoma subjects such as "Soil and Subsoil" by Alexandre Hogue and "Santa Fe Railroad Station as Seen from the Tracks, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma" by Mark Klett.

Guests can view the exhibition beginning at 10 a.m. on Nov. 16 with regular Museum admission and after 5 p.m. for only $5 as part of the Museum's Art After 5 program. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 2, 2018.