Oklahoma Pop

Oklahoma City, OK
May 15, 2009
For Immediate Release

Tulsa may soon be home to a nationally recognized museum that features Oklahoma artists as varied as Bob Wills and Garth Brooks, Woody Guthrie and Leon Russell, and Mary Kay Place and Paul Harvey, according to Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

"We want to build a 45,000 square-foot museum called Oklahoma Pop that will feature all forms of music and popular culture created by, influenced by, and enjoyed by Oklahomans throughout our history,” said Blackburn. “In essence, it will be a museum focused on shared memory, from rock, country, and gospel music to movies, radio, and television."

Ken Levit, president of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, also announced a $1 million challenge grant to launch the project.

"Mr. Kaiser and I think the Oklahoma Pop will become a centerpiece for the development of the Brady Village," said Levit. "This museum not only will enhance Tulsa’s image as a center for the arts, but also contribute to the economic development of the emerging north side district from the BOK Center to the ONEOK Baseball Stadium."

Mayor Kathy Taylor attended the press conference and added her vision of what the museum will do for Tulsa.

"The Oklahoma Museum of Music and Popular Culture, or Oklahoma Pop as it will be called, can help us brand Tulsa as a city of creativity," said the Mayor. "Tulsa is already home to great musicians who have had worldwide success, and features some of the best concert halls in the country—the historic Cain's Ballroom, Brady Theatre, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, and of course, the nation’s hottest new performance venue, the BOK Center. The new museum will help us market Tulsa as a magnet for artists, tourists, and conventions."

According to Blackburn, the Oklahoma Historical Society will work with the Governor and Legislators to authorize a state bond issue to pay for the land and building. The funding for exhibits and endowment will be raised from private sources.

"The combination of a state bond issue and private fundraising was the business plan used for the Oklahoma History Center located next to the State Capitol," said Blackburn. "We can achieve that same standard of Smithsonian-quality as we build a museum in Tulsa that is a combination of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country and Western Music Hall of Fame, and Universal Studios."

The anticipated cost of the museum will be $33 million and development from planning to opening will take three years.

For more information call Dr. Bob Blackburn, 405-522-5201.