Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo by Daniel Santiago.

With a state so entrenched in Western history and so steeped in Native American culture, there is something incredible to explore everywhere you turn. Continue reading through this special destination section for more artists and institutions based in the Sooner State.

The fourth-floor Capitol rotunda. Image by the Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau.  Courtesy the Oklahoma Arts Council.

A few minutes’ drive south of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma State Capitol is home to a treasure trove of world-class Western, Native American and regional artwork. Following restoration of the century-old building, in 2022 the Oklahoma Arts Council reinstalled hundreds of works throughout six floors of the capitol, many highlighting the people, events and terrain that define Oklahoma’s unique place within the Western landscape. From awe-inspiring paintings of grand vistas by Wilson Hurley to handmade Oklahoma-themed cowboy boots created by internationally renowned bootmaker Lisa Sorrell, a full spectrum of works evoking the spirit of the West are on display in the state’s largest public art museum. 

This Land is Your Land by Lisa Sorrell from the Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection. Image by the Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau.  Courtesy the Oklahoma Arts Council.

 

Sunset at Roman Nose State Park by Wilson Hurley (1924-2008) from the Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection. Image courtesy the Oklahoma Arts Council.

The collection at the capitol has been curated over several decades through public and private commissions. Twenty-one new works—spurred by the state’s percent for public art program—provide a contemporary voice to the rich and complex narrative of the West, told through the Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection. Guided tours led by trained docents are available hourly, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (except at noon during weekdays).

 

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Shirley Quaid, 1850 Autumn Rains, oil, 30 x 40"

Award-winning artist Shirley Quaid says that she is a people painter. The lives, struggles and triumphs all appeal to her as she paints the imagery of the Old West. “I love to tell the stories of the pioneers who sacrificed so much to start a new life, and I love to tell the stories of the Native Americans who had such wonderful cultures. It is a shame that the two collided,” says Quaid.

Shirley Quaid, Tall in the Saddle, oil, 24 x 18"

During the pandemic, Quaid started a study of light and shadow. She continues to experiment with different methods of depicting the light with oils in a loose representational style. Art has become not only a passion but a lifestyle. It bleeds over into every aspect of her life.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, The Trapper’s Morning, 2018, oil on linen, 24 x 29", by Mian Situ.

The Woolaroc Museum was founded in 1925 by oilman Frank Phillips. Situated on a 3,700-acre working ranch, this 50,000-square-foot museum houses a collection described by Christie’s of New York as “one of the finest collections of southwest art in the world.” Today, the museum houses more than 600 paintings, 300 bronzes and more than 2,300 pieces of Native American art and artifacts. The Woolaroc collection includes a broad representation of paintings by many of the “Old Masters” of Western art, like Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, William R. Leigh and Frank Tenney Johnson, but also represents more contemporary artists such as Wilson Hurley, John Clymer, Clark Hulings and Bettina Steinke. Five of the original six Taos Society Artists are represented as well. In recent years, the museum has added sculpture pieces by artists that were featured in past national art exhibits, including Tim Shinabarger, Richard Greeves, George Carlson and Walter Matia.

Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, A Cowboy’s Romance, 2016, oil, 16 x 30", by Glenn Dean.

The Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve’s upcoming art exhibition the Woolaroc Retrospective Exhibit and Sale opens on October 14 and continues through December 31. This year’s exhibit will feature William Alther, Thomas Blackshear II, Tom Browning, Scott Burdick, Glenn Dean, Jane DeDecker, Ralph Oberg, Dan Ostermiller, Roseta Santiago, Mian Situ and Daniel Sprick. “We are thrilled to showcase the works of these 11 talented artists and further establish Woolaroc as a world-class museum,” says Kevin Hoch, Woolaroc CEO.

Pamela Winters, Honey Lamb and I, bronze, 21 x 25 x 11"

Native to the Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York, Pamela Winters has always loved outdoors and nature. “I have been given a talent by God as a bronze artist, and I pour my love of creation into a scene or a moment that will last forever. I love realism in detail, movement and expression,” she says. Winters sculpts both animals and figurative pieces, each telling its own story. She has lived in Oklahoma for more than 40 years where “true cowboys, Indians, wild mustangs and wildlife thrill me and give me plenty of subject matter. I also love commissions and seeing the reaction to these special pieces.” She is a Signature Member of Women Artists of the West and Member with Distinction of American Women Artists. Upcoming shows include Cowgirl Gathering (Fort Worth, Texas), Art in the Square (Tulsa, Oklahoma) and Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion at the Woolaroc Museum, as well as the Woolaroc’s WAOW Invitational in 2024. —

Pamela Winters, Heartbeat of the Prairie, bronze, 23 x 9 x 12"