Allied Arts

We need YOUR help!

Following June’s heavy rains and flash floods, many of Oklahoma City’s premier arts organizations were left homeless as water rose higher than five feet in the Stage Center’s basement and office area.

Six arts organizations lost 75 to 90 percent of their property, from computer equipment to stage props to dance floors, leotards and shoes.

Allied Arts created an Arts Flood Emergency Fund to collect financial donations for the affected non-profits. To make a donation, please call (405) 278-8944 or mail to the Allied Arts office (1015 N. Broadway, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, OK 73120). Individuals can donate online at www.alliedartsokc.com.

We are also collecting the below new or gently used items to re-stock the groups’ performance supplies. Please drop off all donated items to 1015 N. Broadway, second floor.

• Arts and Craft Supplies: Paint and brushes, glue, glitter, oil pastels, construction paper, pottery clay and other children’s art supplies for summer camps

• Dance Apparel: Ballet, jazz and tap shoes and tight and leotards (size 3 T to adult)

• Costumes: Children’s costumes (size 5-16) in particular

• Dry Cleaning: Damaged costumes are in need of dry cleaning services

• Office Supplies: Scanners, office furniture (desks, chairs and file cabinets) and all other basic office tools

• Facility Space: One organization needs a theatre that holds 150-200 people where they can build sets, rehearse and perform beginning in August

Displaced arts organizations include: Artworks, Carpenter Square Theatre, Metropolitan School of Dance, Oklahoma Community Theatre Association and Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park. The Arts Council of Oklahoma City received substantial building and equipment damage due to the storm as well. 

Thank you for anything you can do!

I got the chance to sit down with Sue Ellen Reiman, managing director of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park.  Their production of "The Taming of the Shrew" is playing this weekend in downtown OKC. Check out this short video to learn more!

Hooray for the weekend! I'm expecting a pretty low key weekend and I can't WAIT.

Enjoy today's final word Friday. Did you know that Picasso had four children with three women? I had no idea! Below is a portrait of one of his sons, Paul.

"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. "
- Pablo Picasso

Hi all,

Spend some summer fun with the arts this weekend. Check out the fabulosity happening in the OKC-area.

Sunday Twilight Concert Series
Featuring The Edmond Jazz Orchestra
@ Arts Council of Oklahoma City
http://www.artscouncilokc.com/
This event is FREE!

Reefer Madness, the Musical
Opening weekend
@ Carpenter Square Theatre
http://carpentersquare.com/
Please note that the location has been changed to the Freede Little Theatre at the Civic Center due to the flooding of the Stage Center
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

The Film Costumes of Edith Head and Mother's Hats: The Doris Elliott Collection
@ City Arts Center
http://www.cityartscenter.org/

FIBERWORKS 2010
Opens Sunday
@ Individual Artists of Oklahoma
http://iaogallery.org/

Pump Boys & Dinettes
@ Lyric Theatre and Thelma Gaylord Academy
http://www.lyrictheatreokc.com/

Alfonso Ossorio: Gifts from the Ossorio Foundation
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Sketch to Screen
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Cocktails on the Skyline
Tonight – music by Maurice Johnson
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
Just $5 after 5 pm

Death on the Nile – Film Screening
Tonight
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
Bette Davis’ costume and accessories from the film are on display in Sketch to Screen

They Came to Play – Film Screening
Friday and Saturday
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/

The Taming of the Shrew
@ Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
http://www.oklahomashakespeare.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

On Today’s Center Stage – Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria

I would argue that one of the best deals on the CityCard is Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria. With every two entrees you buy, you receive a free Italian nachos appetizer (a $9 value).

If you’re anything like me and my husband, appetizers aren’t always in the budget so they are a real treat when we get them.

Plus, the Italian nachos are AMAZING at Flip’s. Only in Oklahoma could you have nachos with an Italian twist (in case you’re wondering, the twist is pepperoncini peppers and a side of marina).

Enough about the appetizer, Flip’s entrees are delish too! I’m a sucker for their chicken parmesan and their margherita pizza (check out a pic below).

And to make the restaurant even more fun, they’re open until 1:30 am every day of the week. There’s no need for a late night Taco Bell run, when an amazing restaurant like Flip’s is open!

Check out Flip’s full menu here: http://www.flipswinebar.com/menus.html

PS – Flip’s owners, Betsy and Gail, are true arts supporters. They feature local art work at Flip’s, showcasing a different artist every 6 weeks. They take no commission for work sold. Betsy and Gail – THANK YOU for supporting the arts in OKC!

Every good painter paints what he is.
- Jackson Pollock

Time Magazine described Jackson Pollock as the "bearded shock trooper of modern painting, who spread his canvases on the floor, dribbled paint, sand and broken glass on them, smeared and scratched them, named them with numbers..." at his death in 1956. Pollock's Number 1 - 1950 (Lavender Mist) is displayed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The list of weekend activities is long, so I’ll keep my dialogue short. Here you go!

Sunday Twilight Concert Series
Featuring The Scott Keeton Band plus the Target Kids Tent
@ Arts Council of Oklahoma City
http://www.artscouncilokc.com/
This event is FREE!

The Film Costumes of Edith Head and Mother's Hats: The Doris Elliott Collection
Opening Reception Tonight
@ City Arts Center
http://www.cityartscenter.org/

FIBERWORKS 2010
Opens Sunday
@ Individual Artists of Oklahoma
http://iaogallery.org/

Pump Boys & Dinettes
Opens Tuesday
@ Lyric Theatre and Thelma Gaylord Academy
http://www.lyrictheatreokc.com/

Alfonso Ossorio: Gifts from the Ossorio Foundation
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Sketch to Screen
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
2-for-1 admission with OKCityCard

Cocktails on the Skyline
Tonight – music by Marcy Priest
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
Just $5 after 5 pm

Public Enemies – Film Screening
Tonight
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/
Catch a look at one of Johnny Depp’s costumes in Sketch to Screen

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo – Film Screening
Friday and Saturday
@ Oklahoma City Museum of Art
http://www.okcmoa.com/

The Taming of the Shrew
Opens tonight
@ Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
http://www.oklahomashakespeare.com/

24 Works on Paper Exhibit
Closes Friday
Firehouse Art Center in Norman
@ OVAC
http://ovac-ok.org/

Bright Night of Sports
@ Science Museum Oklahoma
http://sciencemuseumok.org/

 

It’s summertime, and that means it’s a great time for patios, bocce ball and gelato.  Where can you find all three, plus OKC’s best pizza?  The Wedge!

I’m kind of a creature of habit and find myself rotating between two or three restaurants for months at a time.  The Wedge is always in the rotation because you just can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.  Everything is good! That’s why it’s my go-to.

Here’s a list of my top recommendations:

1. Truffle Shuffle – truffle oil, roasted chicken, parmesan, mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach (is your mouth watering yet?)
2. Meatballs – these aren’t the kind your grandma makes…they’re better
3. The Wedge Trio – a harmonious appetizer (pun intended) featuring their amazing flatbread and hummus
4. Gelato – because I always have to have dessert
5. Sit on the patio – twinkle lights and fresh air make for a lovely dinner

The Wedge has 2 locations – 47th and Western and Deep Deuce.  Both are equipped with a relaxed atmosphere, patio and friendly staff.  Have I failed to mention that another reason why I love The Wedge is because they’re on our CityCard?  Get 10% off every time you go!

Connect with The Wedge online at www.thewedgeokc.com and @wedgepizza or @wedgedeepdeuce on twitter.

The Wedge on Western. Tell us what you think about it!

We had the pleasure of volunteering for the U.S. Mayors Conference last night as OKC treated the mayors, their families and staff to an Oklahoma-themed Broadway revue. Lyric Theatre did a FANTASTIC job performing numbers from The Will Rogers Follies and Oklahoma!.

Fiddler Kyle Dillingham also wowed the audience with his traveling violin performance and a special rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

But perhaps the highlight of the evening was seeing Tony Award-nominated Broadway singer Kelli O’Hara perform. She sang three solo songs and then performed with the Lyric cast for several Oklahoma! numbers.

As the mayors left the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, we heard many remark that they were so impressed with the conference, the evening’s performers and Oklahoma City in general. We were so proud that the arts took center stage that evening (and during many other conference activities as well!).

Last night was a fantastic example of the draw of the arts for tourism and the ability of culture to raise the profile of our city. 

Thank you to all of the mayors, staff and families that visited Oklahoma City over the weekend. We enjoyed hosting you!

And congrats to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Lyric Theatre, Kyle Dillingham and Kelli O’Hara for being such fantastic arts ambassadors!

Every artist was first an amateur.
 - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now is always a good time to start.  Thanks, Ralph!