Education Classes and Programs
at the Oklahoma History Center
“Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters” panel event (virtual)
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will host a live-streamed panel event with musicians Amythyst Kiah, Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell of Our Native Daughters. The musicians will discuss their history and music Friday, February 26 at 11 a.m. Visit the Oklahoma History Center's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/okhistorycenter to watch the live stream.
The Oklahoma History Center will also stream the Smithsonian program Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters on Facebook from February 23 to 26. The program gives a behind-the-scenes look at Our Native Daughters as they go from the studio to the stage.
For more music from Our Native Daughters, head over to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: https://folkways.si.edu/songs-of-our-native-daughters
“African American Women’s Activism in Historical Perspective” program (virtual)
Wednesday, March 3, 6 p.m.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will offer a virtual portal to the Smithsonian program, “African American Women’s Activism in Historical Perspective,” on Wednesday, March 3, at 6 p.m. This event is free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required.
This program is part of a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks celebrating Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, Smithsonian American Women. It will highlight objects related to African American women’s history in the Smithsonian collections, focusing on African American women’s activism and contributions in historical perspective. Each speaker will explore an interesting aspect of African American women’s activism through an extended discussion of one or two objects.
Featured speakers for this program are:
Nancy Bercaw, PhD, Chair, Division of Political and Military History, National Museum of American History
Aleia Brown, PhD, Assistant Director, Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
Modupe Labode, PhD, Curator, National Museum of American History
Crystal Moten, PhD, Curator, National Museum of American History
More information about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is available at https://womenshistory.si.edu/.
“Lena Richard and Julia Child: Two Women Who Changed Culinary History” program (virtual)
Wednesday, March 10, 6 p.m.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will offer a virtual portal to the Smithsonian program, “Lena Richard and Julia Child: Two Women Who Changed Culinary History,” on Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. This event is free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required.
This program is part of a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks celebrating Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, Smithsonian American Women. Through their cookbooks, teaching, and television programs, these extraordinary women inspired generations of people to take cooking seriously. They challenged perceptions and stereotypes of women in their respective eras and made lasting contributions to culinary history. Their stories, reflective of their very different backgrounds, reveal insights about women, race, food, and culture in 20th-century America.
Featured speakers for this program are:
Paula Johnson, Curator, National Museum of American History
Ashley Rose Young, PhD, Historian, National Museum of American History
More information about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is available at https://womenshistory.si.edu/.
“Women in Aerospace: Stories from the Smithsonian Collection” program (virtual)
Wednesday, March 17, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will offer a virtual portal to the Smithsonian program, “Women in Aerospace: Stories from the Smithsonian Collection,” on Wednesday, March 17, at 4 p.m. This event is free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required.
This program is part of a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks celebrating Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, Smithsonian American Women. Featured speaker Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator and Department Chair of the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum has researched and written on how a groundswell of support helped create a LEGO set representing women’s contributions to aerospace. Join us for a discussion of how women have worked from the very beginning of aviation to innovate, and how museums, including the Oklahoma History Center’s exhibit Launch to Landing: Oklahomans and Space, have documented their stories.
More information about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is available at https://womenshistory.si.edu/.
“Ancient Worlds Contemporary Selves: Smithsonian Scholars Explore Intersectionality” program (virtual)
Wednesday, March 24, 6 p.m.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will offer a virtual portal to the Smithsonian program, “Ancient Worlds Contemporary Selves: Smithsonian Scholars Explore Intersectionality,” on March 24, at 6 p.m. This event is free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required.
This program is part of a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks celebrating Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, Smithsonian American Women. In this discussion, scholars from the National Museum of the American Indian, Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian American Art Museum will explore how artists integrate the ancient world within their contemporary artistic practice. In so doing, their works update and create new meanings, allowing them to pass on complex and layered cultural interpretations to future generations.
Featured speakers for this program are:
Michelle Delaney, PhD, Assistant Director for History and Culture, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Healoha Johnston, Curator, Asian Pacific American Women’s Cultural History, Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center
Claudia Zapata, Curatorial Assistant, Smithsonian American Art Museum
More information about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is available at https://womenshistory.si.edu/.
“Women Artists Respond to Place” program (virtual)
Wednesday, March 31, 4 p.m.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center will offer a virtual portal to the Smithsonian program, “Women Artists Respond to Place,” on Wednesday, March 31, at 4 p.m. This event is free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required.
This program is part of a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks celebrating Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, Smithsonian American Women. In this discussion, the significance of landscapes, places, and narratives of all kinds will be examined through the works of contemporary women artists in Smithsonian collections.
Featured speakers for this program are:
Tuliza Fleming, PhD, Curator of American Art, National Museum of African American History and Culture
Rebecca Trautmann, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, National Museum of the American Indian
More information about the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative is available at https://womenshistory.si.edu/.
The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound film screening
Saturday, March 27, 1–3 p.m.
The Oklahoma History Center will host a screening of The Harvey Girls: Opportunity Bound (2013) on Saturday, March 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. Celebrate Women’s History Month by exploring the story of over 100,000 brave young women who made an unusual decision to leave home and travel west. They worked as waitresses along the railroad, opening the doors of the West to women. Learn about Oklahoma’s own Harvey Houses and the impact that the Harvey Girls made on the progress of women in the state.
This program is free with paid admission to the Oklahoma History Center. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Admission is free for OHS members, children under five, and active-duty military, veterans, and dependents (with id).
Harvey Girls (image courtesy of Northern Arizona University, Cline Library).
America’s National Parks at 100 film screening
Saturday, April 17, 1–3 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Day and Oklahoma’s state and national parks with the Smithsonian film, America’s National Parks at 100 (2016). The Oklahoma History Center will screen this film on Saturday, April 17, from 1 to 3 p.m.
The National Park Service has been active for over a century preserving and protecting over 400 units across America, from the wild and natural to the man-made and historic. Take a tour through iconic Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and discover smaller, hidden treasures throughout the country as we explore the agency’s evolution over the last century. Through rarely seen footage and stunning aerial views, we celebrate the sites and stories of the national landmarks that reflect our country’s past, present, and future.
This program is free with paid admission to the Oklahoma History Center. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Admission is free for OHS members, children under five, and active-duty military, veterans, and dependents (with id).
Gardening 101 class
Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m.—noon
Join us for Gardening 101 at the Oklahoma History Center on Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon. Learn gardening fundamentals and tips in the beautiful gardens of the Red River Journey at the Oklahoma History Center! The cost is $10 for OHS members and $15 for nonmembers. Registration opens March 12 and closes April 16.
Milliner (hat-making) class
Saturday, May 1, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Learn the history of Edwardian milliners and create your own hat in the Oklahoma History Center’s Milliner class on Saturday, May 1, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This class is recommended for ages twelve and up. Space is limited!
Registration is $50 for OHS members and $70 for nonmembers; all supplies are included. Registration opens on March 18 and closes on April 23.
Brush Calligraphy class
Saturday, June 26, 1–3 p.m.
Learn basic brush and pen strokes to create beautiful pieces of art in the Oklahoma History Center’s Brush Calligraphy class on Saturday, June 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. This class is recommended for ages twelve and up.
The cost is $10 for OHS members and $20 for nonmembers; all supplies are included. Registration opens May 14 and closes June 18.
To find out about all OHS classes, programs, and events across the state, view the online calendar.