The OKC Gold Dome is located off of 23rd and Classen in Oklahoma City and was built in 1958. This building is an iconic landmark in the OKC metro and is widely recognized by the locals. Every day on my commute to work and school, I drive by this building. There hasn’t been a single OKC resident I’ve met without a story or memory attached to the building. However, in my time living in the city, I have never seen the building thrive or bustling with people. I know others who have attended high school dances, bar parties, etc, but to me it has always been a ghost town. I have even made bets with friends on what company may purchase it or what it could become next. I think about this building as I drive by every day and hope I have an excuse to visit inside soon.

The Oklahoma Contemporary Art Museum is new to the OKC metro area, but has already made a major impact. This building was designed by Rand Elliott architects, with Oklahoma’s changing weather and landscape in mind in the varied levels of the outdoor structure. The reflective exterior displays the colorful and vast Oklahoma skies, and is especially amazing at sunrise. This building has been meaningful to me during the last view months, as during the pandemic there have been few opportunities to interact socially. The museum has been putting on socially distant and outdoor events, which have been a great way to safely experience art and come together with the community. This is a place I have enjoyed getting to meet friends I have not been able to see often, and I think it will continue to be a place to connect even more when the pandemic ends.

This is the Hardesty Arts Center, also know as the AHHA building, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The AHHA was built in 2012 for the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa and is used as an art gallery and studio space. I really love this building because it’s a symbol of gathering for the Tulsa arts community, and really grew during my high school years when I felt more appreciation for art. 

When it comes to the physical space, I find it so interesting that it seems like a heavy and sharp-shaped building, with the concrete walls and metal details, while at the same time feeling so soft and light while inside. I think that their walls of windows letting in natural light must be part of this effect. I also find it so interesting how the space itself is so neutral and has held so many creative sculptures and other forms of artwork. 

The Philbrook museum has been an amazing and inspiring building to me since I was young. My mother would take me there to see their large collection of art pieces with diverse narratives within them, but I always thought that the building itself had such an interesting story. It is so interesting that this was the former home of an oil pioneer (Waite Phillips) who commissioned architect Edward Buehler Delk to design it.

I have always admired the twisted columns and intricate ceilings that were inspired by Italian Renaissance, it felt like it was from a different time. The exterior as well as the gardens were even more stunning. I think I loved going there so much because I had such a heart for European styles and culture. Being there was an escape in a way. It does not feel like Tulsa, Oklahoma.