Art As Educator
Philbrook Museum of Art Director Rand Suffolk’s hope is that Philbrook will “be everyone’s museum.” PHOTO BY BRANDON SCOTT.
More than a general art museum, Philbrook is considered “Tulsa’s crown jewel,” an institutional masterpiece exemplifying the great strides of local involvement and investment. Committed to growing its permanent collection and community spaces, the museum is host to intriguing exhibitions presenting the finest examples of artistic achievement from near and far. “As an organization, we want the broadest possible public engagement. We want to be everyone’s museum,” explains Rand Suffolk, director of Philbrook Museum of Art. Philbrook enjoys an annual audience of nearly 150,000 visitors, and the museum’s steady growth in attendance has proven that with the right leadership, selfless generosity and proactive ingenuity, barriers to fine art museums – both real and perceived – can be broken. Special events, such as the biennial Philbrook Wine Experience, open doors to art for many while raising funds essential to the museum’s future growth. The 2012 event raised an impressive $2.4 million, making Philbrook Wine Experience the largest fundraising event in Oklahoma and among the nation’s top 10 wine events.
The 2012 Philbrook Wine Experience raised $2.4 million for the museum’s various educational programs. PHOTO COURTESY PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART.
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | APRIL 2014