In the Beginning

Vibrant cities have active cultural institutions to enrich the lives of residents, educate children, and attract artists, tourists, and innovators. Soon, Oklahoma City will have a new home for the arts where people of all walks of life can exchange ideas about contemporary life.

For more than two decades the staff and directors trusted me, like many artists, to share my thoughts and ideas with visitors through my work. Oklahoma Contemporary remains committed to providing free exhibitions by working artists.

My first-hand interaction came when we enrolled our two sons in summer camps. Our younger son is now a visual art major at his high school, and we know that his time at Oklahoma Contemporary helped spark his talent.

Oklahoma Contemporary has afforded me the opportunity to come back to live and work where I was born and raised by increasing access to creativity, art experiences, and arts education for people of all ages and backgrounds.

I was asked to serve on the board upon my husband Steve’s retirement in 1998.
Considering it’s been twenty years, I feel that I have somewhat “grown up” with Oklahoma Contemporary! It’s incredible to be part of such a progressive organization.

By providing artists with employment and exhibition opportunities, and through their camps and classes, Oklahoma Contemporary has shown a strong commitment to artists. Their embrace of our artistic community is vital to Oklahoma’s continued creative growth and success.

I was incredibly fortunate to work with an amazing staff during my tenure as executive director of City Arts Center. We continue to this day to celebrate each other and our “work family” connection remains unbroken.

My time at Oklahoma Contemporary was an extraordinary opportunity and an unforgettable experience. There were challenges, and these were offset by the many and various possibilities to be creative in our planning for Oklahoma Contemporary and in witnessing so many positive outcomes.

For me, impact translates as learning. At the arts center, I have been exposed to contemporary art on many levels. I have learned what art moves me and what art doesn’t. More importantly, it is the exposure to new ideas that propels my personal curiosity.

Casady School Art should be available to everyone, and Oklahoma Contemporary, along with its incredibly generous donors, makes that possible. Our new building is going to be amazing. It will be like nothing else in Oklahoma City.

I like to think of Oklahoma Contemporary as a layered brick building. Each row of bricks represents different staff, artist, goals, and so on, and each layer is built upon the layer underneath. There are many artists and people who can point to a brick in the building and see themselves.

I am inspired by Oklahoma Contemporary for its arts-education programs and the well-known artists it is attracting for shows. Working with the staff for my show in 2014 was one of the best experiences I have ever encountered in the art world. Everyone was so professional, knowledgeable, and accommodating.

In the early ’90s, City Arts Center worked with artist John Seward and a local hospice on a photography exhibition with essays about its patients. The combination of words and photographs made the subjects relatable and not at all sad. This type of experience is what I value about Oklahoma Contemporary.

My dad, G. Patrick Riley, is an Oklahoma artist and educator and would regularly teach summer youth art classes at City Arts Center. I took an illustration course where the main project was to write a book and illustrate it. I quickly realized I was a pretty average illustrator, but that I could tell quite a story. I’ve been writing ever since.

Oklahoma City wouldn’t be where it is today without a multifaceted visual and performing-arts scene, and Oklahoma Contemporary has been on the leading edge for contemporary art. More than a decade’s worth of work has gone into the new building—which will change the arts landscape in Oklahoma City forever

I love that it has always been a place where the arts were accessible to so many. The most rewarding times for me have been when kids were in the building during summer art camps—listening to them talk about famous artists like Picasso and Man Ray, as if they knew them personally.