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Alexandre Hogue, Tulsa, Hondo Canyon Cliffs
Tulsa Public Art by Gretchen Collins Visitors arriving at Tulsa International Airport (TIA) may notice only the baggage carousels, but TIA is brimming with art inside and out. Next time you’re at the airport, look around. Most of the art is displayed prior to security. It is rich in aviation, oil and Native American history. Thanks to the formation of the TIA Cultural Advisory Group less than two years ago, the art at the airport will continue to evolve. Alexis Higgins, Deputy Director of Marketing says TIA is working to reflect the community so people will recognize they are in Tulsa without having to consult their ticket stub. The Smithsonian Institution Hall of Petroleum Mural is located in the upper level where the rental car companies are officed. At thirteenx-fifty-six feet, it is difficult to miss, and you wouldn’t want to. The work, both painting and installation, depicts 1966 era oil exploration, production and distribution. Twenty-six early Tulsa oilmen are featured including Walter H. Helmerich, II of Helmerich & Payne and John Williams of Williams Pipeline. “Walter Helmerich called his friends,” Higgins says. “Each paid $3,000 a piece to be included in the painting.” Delbert L. Jackson, the artist, was staff illustrator of Pan American Petroleum Corporation and medical staff illustrator for Hillcrest Medical Center. Originally from Nebraska, he studied fine arts at the University of Nebraska and the University of Tulsa. The mural was painstakingly moved to allow space for the new central security area. Oil field fittings are part of the piece. The fittings protected this work, originally displayed at
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the Smithsonian Institution. It was returned to the City of Tulsa in 1997 under the auspices of Gilcrease Museum.
painstakingly documented the 73-piece collection in 1987. The bronze sculpture is a strong presence in the Promenade of the PAC.
Also in this area is the bronze bust of Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers by Joe Davidson. The reason his nose is shiny? Rubbing it is reputed to be good luck.
Colorful World is a tapestry by Dutch artist Karel Appel. The unrestrained color in this work of silk is arresting. One can’t help but be drawn to it. Hermann notes there are almost 700,000 knots in Colorful World. Appel’s works have been exhibited in the Guggenheim and The Museum of Modern Art.
Outside, in the center arrival area, is the Morning Mission by sculptor Robert Weinman. It represents the 40,000 pilots trained in Tulsa by Spartan Aeronautics during WWII. A new work has been installed in the departures roadway. Tulsa art students from Edison, McCain, Memorial and Rogers High Schools painted the colorful 168-foot mural last summer. Students used 20 colors and 25 gallons of paint to create the cheerful sendoff to travelers. While at TIA, look for the Tulsa Historical Society automobile, Gilcrease artifacts and the Price Tower Arts Center exhibits. Downtown at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center (PAC), there is art both inside and outside of the theatres. The building is a work of art designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki of World Trade Center fame. Thanks to the 1970 Tulsa ordinance that Kathleen P. Westby and Charles Norman pioneered, no less than one percent of new or revised construction must be expended for works of art. The ordinance made the purchase of Barbara Hepworth’s, Seaform (1964), a reality. It has star quality. “She was the first to pierce the form,” according to Nancy Hermann, PAC Marketing Director/Intermission editor-in-chief. Hermann
Also in the Promenade is Joseph Raffael’s watercolor, Dusk at Kodai. Often compared to Monet’s works, upon closer inspection, it is only similar in subject, not in style. The stainless steel Untitled sculpture by David Lee Brown was donated by John Williams. Used as the logo for the PAC, the larger 10-foot version stands outside the entrance. This piece is all about light, and appears to change images when viewed from different perspectives. In the dress circle, or upper lobby of the Third Street entrance, the Untitled sculpture in steel and glass by Stanley Landsman represents a different type of landscape. Hung from the ceiling, the mirrors and lights are pertinent ingredients of this attention grabbing piece. Hondo Canyon Cliffs by Alexandre Hogue, along with the Hepworth sculpture, are the most valuable pieces in the collection. Originally titled Pray For Us, St. Peter, Hogue told Hermann, “Of course it was a facetious title, but there were not enough people with a sense of humor that got it.” He went with the location of the painting instead. Hogue chose the frame to complement the strong, chiseled forms represented in the oil painting.