30 Dec Wanderings: Norman, Oklahoma
The town of Norman lies at the heart of Oklahoma, surrounded by the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, and Osage Nations. Founded in the 1880s, Norman has a long and storied past but is perhaps best known today for its football team, the University of Oklahoma Sooners. Well, that and for being the home of the National Weather Center, which makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.
Inside the surprisingly large Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
It’s also home to the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. This hidden gem features one of the best public university art collections in America, rivaling privately-funded Ivy League schools. With more than 20,000 objects, they are stewards of the Eugene B. Adkins Collection, the James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection, and the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French Impressionism. Though the museum appears modest from the outside, inside visitors are surrounded by more than 1,000 works of art. These range from 20th-century American paintings and sculpture to traditional and contemporary Native American art, Southwest art, ceramics, photography, contemporary art, Asian art, and graphics from the 16th century to present day.
Designed by Hugh Newell Jacobsen and team, the Fred Jones Museum, clad in Texas limestone, is actually 10 pavilions measuring 30 x 30 feet, connected by solid glass.
If Norman, Oklahoma, wasn’t on your radar, now is a great time to check it out, if only to experience the Museum’s latest exhibit, Nicolai Fechin: An Artistic Journey, open through April 5. This sublime survey of Fechin’s work features 56 paintings spanning the artist’s career. According to curatorial fellow and OU Ph.D. candidate Jonthan Hacker, who curated the exhibition, more than half the paintings are on loan from private collectors, which means many haven’t been on view to the public for decades — and those paintings will go back into private collections when the show closes.
Patrons admiring Nicolai Fechin’s Russian Girl [Portrait of Ariadna Mikéshina], ca. 1923-1926.
Curator Jonathan Hacker placed Fechin’s painting Spring in the Steppe next to Woman with a Cigarette as a nod to the artist’s prescient nature. Photos courtesy of Sophia Armoudian/University of Oklahoma
A good example of Hacker making important connections within the exhibit is the pairing of Spring in the Steppe and Woman with a Cigarette. Fechin created these paintings early in his career while still living in Russia. “Spring in the Steppe is a quintessential Russian painting; it’s very traditional,” Hacker says. “Woman with a Cigarette, however, depicts a Russian woman smoking, which was looked down on at that time. This painting is Fechin’s way of envisioning a more forward-thinking Russian society.”
The vibrant Firehouse mural welcomes artists from Norman and surrounding communities, offering classes in ceramics, fiber, photography, printmaking, and more.
Digging through private collections is definitely a perk of any curator’s job. For this show in particular, Hacker says getting private loans allowed him to draw connections between works of art, as well as societal changes happening during Fechin’s life. “We have the painting Girl in a Purple Dress,” he says. “And a private collector had Fechin’s drawing for that painting, which we were able to borrow. And we were able to borrow the first painting Fechin exhibited in America at the Carnegie Institute in 1911. Offering those kinds of insights and creating a cohesive narrative for our patrons is something we love doing.”
Girl in Purple Dress by Nicolai Fechin, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 16 inches. Photo courtesy of Sophia Armoudian/University of Oklahoma
In a sense, this exhibit provides viewers with a time capsule experience as recorded by a master painter who crossed paths with the Impressionists, watched the fall of his homeland, and witnessed the westward expansion in the United States. “His style and the way he created art,” suggests Hacker, “still feels very modern and contemporary today because of what he was able to do with paint. It has this quality speaking to us from the past but in a contemporary way. It doesn’t look dated, which blurs boundaries and feels somehow more immediate.”
Though the Norman Brewtoberfest is in October, you’ll find plenty of great craft beers all year round.
OK, since you’re now convinced it’s time to book a trip to see the Fechin show, we asked Hacker what else there is to do in Norman. “We’re a wonderful college town,” he says. “And we’re known as the city of festivals — every other weekend we have something happening downtown. We have a great art scene and there’s the Second Friday Art Walk.” Hacker also recommends that architecture and history enthusiasts spend a day walking around the campus and visiting the Bizzell Memorial Library. Built in 1929, it was recently recognized as one of the 18 most stunning university libraries in the world.
Start your day off right or—no judgement—just go ahead and splurge on a stack of buttermilk pancakes at the Press & Plow where brunch is served all day. Photos courtesy of Visit Norman
Because OU is a college sports mecca, there are many hotels. But if you want something a little more bougie, check out Noun Hotel, which is within walking distance of the Fred Jones Museum. Part of Marriott Hotels, Noun offers spacious suites, a rooftop bar, restaurant, and a great happy hour lounge.
Veer off the beaten path for hiking, biking, and horse trails throughout Lake Thunderbird State Park.
Want to get your steps in while on vacation? Head over to the Miller and Chautauqua Historic Districts to enjoy Norman’s eclectic mix of architecture. Or follow the Legacy Trail past historic sites and bronze sculptures, many created at the Crucible, Norman’s local foundry. There’s also the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History and the quirky Herb Greene’s Prairie House, open by appointment.
Oklahoma artist Rick Sinnett incorporated symbols of the state, including wildflowers and a hawk, with vibrant colors for this 6-story mural on the Arvest Bank Building on Main Street.
Or, for a slightly less healthy way to get your steps in: the Norman Ale Trail. Yup, clear the afternoon and start at one end of Main Street for a craft brew extravaganza that could very well lead to making new friends while sipping and singing a little karaoke. There’s Legally Brewed, Beer Is Good Brewing Company, Lazy Circles Brewing, Das Boot Camp German Restaurant & Bar, and minutes away, in the old Coca-Cola bottling plant, is The Standard restaurant and beer garden.
Step back in time with a tour of the 1899 Victorian Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum. Photos courtesy of Visit Norman
For dining, try Benvenuti’s or Legends for dinner; for lunch, bring a friend to The Winston and order a variety of sharable small plates, or go to The Lokal for “modern Okie cuisine.” And, of course, you can always follow the college kids to a local favorite, Pepe Delgado. If brunch is your jam, you’ll want to stop in at the Press and Plow or give Blu a shot; and if you’re just looking for a cup of coffee, the museum’s Cup of Jones is fabulous and serves locally roasted Yellow Dog Coffee.
Curator and writer Rose Fredrick shares her extensive knowledge about the inner workings of the art market on her blog, The Incurable Optimist, at rosefredrick.com.
Sidebar:
If you go…
Museums, Art & Attractions
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Sam Noble Museum of Natural History
405.325.7977; samnoblemuseum.ou.edu
Herb Greene’s Prairie House
Second Friday Art Walk and Legacy Trail
Architecture
Bizzell Memorial Library
405.325.3341; libraries.ou.edu/locations/bizzell-memorial-library
Miller and Chautauqua Historic Districts
Lodging
Noun Hotel
Restaurants
Benvenuti’s
405.310.5271; benvenutisristorante.com
Legends
405.329.8888; legendsrestaurant.com
The Winston
The Lokal
405.766.8771; thelokalrestaurant.com
Pepe Delgados
405.321.6232; pepe-delgados.res-menu.com
Press and Plow
405.928.4035; pressandplow.com
Blu
405.360.4258; gldining.com/restaurants/blu
Microbrew Pubs
Legally Brewed
405.857.8950; legallybrewedco.com
Beer is Good (BIG) Brewing Company
Lazy Circles Brewing
405.310.5364; lazycirclesbrewing.us
Das Boot Camp, German Restaurant & Bar
405.701.3748; das-bootcamp.com
The Standard
405.999.0430; thestandardnorman.com/
Coffee
Yellow Dog Coffee Company
406.857.8661; yellowdogcoffeecompany.com/
Cup of Jones, inside the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
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