The summer has come and gone and as Labor Day fast approaches, we found the time to have a little art-themed weekend.
We started with TGIFrida Friday at Gilcrease Museum of Art. (If you haven’t been following EE recently, please note that we are all about Frida Kahlo lately.) Gilcrease hosted a free event to celebrate the life and legacy of Kahlo. We got to enjoy a bit of after-hours time with her at TGIFrida. We arrived a little before 7 pm, bypassed the cash bar and free food, and went directly into the exhibit.
Thank goodness we did, because when we exited, the lobby was extremely crowded. I would have liked to have stayed a bit and listened to the live music and do some amazing people watching (Frida-philes were letting their freak-flags fly), but (a) I had forgotten my phone (hence no photos of this event) so we had to drive back home to get it before our final destination for the evening; and, (b) our final destination for the weekend was OKC (about 90 minutes away).
So, I will just have to leave you with one of my favorite portraits from the exhibit. The Hubs was most taken by some of her correspondences on display so I will also leave you with what he found to be a hilarious letter from Kahlo to Muray as she discusses Paris society:
They are so damn ‘intellectual’ and rotten that I can’t stand them any more. It is realy [sic] too much for my character—-I rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas than to have any thing to do with those ‘artistic’ bitches of Paris.
—Paris. Feb 16, 1939, from Frida to Nick
Next up was our two-night stay at 21 c Museum Hotel in OKC. This place is brand new, opening in June of this summer. It’s amazing! I love the philosophy of making contemporary art available 24/7 in this hotel setting. The OKC location is housed in the old Fred Jones Ford Assembly Plant. Its massive character is perfect for the many fun, quirky, and/or poignant art displays.
Read Debra E.‘s review of 21c Museum Hotel Oklahoma City on Yelp
The hotel’s lounge and restaurant, Mary Eddy’s, is amazing as well.
For more information about our time spent in this relaxing lounge and eatery, please go to Yelp. Read Debra E.‘s review of Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge on Yelp
Besides experiencing this artsy hotel, why were we in OKC for the weekend? The Hubs had a surprise for me. We were also going to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see the once-in-a-lifetime Matisse exhibit. (This exhibit is in OKC as the only North American stop. You can read more about it here.) The exhibit was amazing, including works by not only Matisse, but also Picasso, Renoir, Derain, Braque, Miró, and Modigliani plus some contemporary artists influenced by Matisse. I loved it. It was amazing. We learned so much about Matisse and the alleged feud between the Fauves and the cubists. Really fascinating. 
I was so absorbed with taking everything in and experiencing the moment, this is the only photo I took of the exhibit proper. (Yes, I was having some picture/phone issues from the get-go.)
Just to continue our art theme, we stopped by the funky Picasso Cafe in the Paseo district for what turned out to be an extended cocktail hour.
It was a great, full, artsy-fartsy weekend that I will always remember.
For all the other Yelping I did on this trip:
Read Debra E.‘s review of Picasso Cafe on Yelp Read Debra E.‘s review of Oklahoma City Museum of Art on Yelp
Read Debra E.‘s review of Cafe 501 on Yelp
Read Debra E.‘s review of Patrono on Yelp
If you are anywhere close to OKC, I hope you take in the Matisse exhibit and visit 21c as soon as you are able.
Comments & Replies
18 responses to “Artsy-Fartsy Weekend”
I loved going with you on your artsy-fartsy weekend! I had seen the art hotel on Discover Oklahoma! and mentioned to my daughter we should go walk through it. We’ve been to Classen Curve several times (did you notice how many storefronts were empty?!?) and honestly we haven’t been impressed with any of the restaurants except the GastroPub – which is great and I highly recommend it next time you go down there – if they are still open then……..I think the rent is far too high and the traffic didn’t turn out to be as much as predicted.
Anyway, sounds like y’all had a great time!
You must go to 21c, at least for cocktails and to wander around. They do not frown on taking a glass of wine from the lounge into the galleries. Good to know about GastroPub. We didn’t wander around Classen Curve too much. I have some fond memories of one of my crazy aunts taking us to Balliet’s when it was across from Penn Square. I think she bought things, wore them once, and then returned them….In fact, I know she did.
It looks like that you had an awesome weekend, Debra.
We did. I would love to redo it!
Your title caught my attention but the adventure in the 21C Museum Hotel and the Matiise and Kahlo exhibits held my interest. What fun! That would indeed be a “dream” weekend as I too love Matisse and how cool was that hotel? Plus the fact that your husband knew this would be a dream trip for you speak a lot to he really knows where your passions lie. Go you (and him)! Though I don’t have any immediate plans to travel west to OKC, if I ever should I’m going to request the 21C Museum Hotel.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting. It was a fantastic time all the way around!
I want to go on an Artsy-Fartsy weekend! What fun!!!
I highly recommend it, Liz.
What a time you had, I love the art. Maybe I could get one of those penguins for my house, I would like that. The polar bear is very cool.
I think they have them for sale. $$$$$$$ 🙂
Oh wow what an amazing weekend love thta hotel ad all you saw. TGIFrida! so funny and perfect. Love the polar bear instalation! And that rubber ducky 🙂
It would have been even better if they had been purple rubber penguins!
Sounds like fun and I’d love the people watching, the Frida-philes!
There were lots of people with drawn-in unibrows.
I’m a big Frida Fan. On our last visit to the Denver Museum of Art, I picked up a Frida magnetic paper doll kit. So much fun to change her wardrobe and of course decide if she has a parrot or a monkey on her shoulder.
I would love that magnet.
[…] usually revolve around the Southwest. Unfortunately for us, our only couple-trip took place last weekend in OKC. We have, though, either singly or together, had some great trips with family this […]
[…] of photographic portraits of Kahlo by Nickolas Muray. (You can read about our artsy adventures here.) I also sought out Frida’s Fiesta and am now a proud owner of this cookbook by one of […]