Four blown-glass artworks by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly are now on display at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, installed on the second floor as part of a five-year public art loan agreement. The pieces come from the Oklahoma City Museum of Art's permanent collection and mark the latest addition to the convention center's growing roster of public art.
The installation is a collaboration among the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Oklahoma City Convention Center and the City of Oklahoma City, according to The Journal Record. The four works — Daffodil Seaform Set with Carnival Red Lip Wraps and Naples Yellow Basket Set with Dark Oxblood Lip Wraps, both created in 2001, along with Rose and Clover Pheasant Macchia Set, also from 2001, and Mirabelle Orange Macchia with Crimson Lip Wrap, created in 2002 — are available to view at no charge whenever the convention center is open for public events.
A Partnership Years in the Making
Conversations that led to the Chihuly loan began in 2024 and involved the convention center, the museum and staff from Oklahoma City's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, per the same report. Maury Ford, OKCMOA's co-interim director and director of collections and exhibitions, said the installation offers a way to share the museum's permanent collection beyond its own walls while supporting its broader visual-arts mission.
Leondre Lattimore, Oklahoma City's arts associate planner, said bringing world-class art to OKC residents is an important community role and welcomed the collaboration between two organizations. The Chihuly installation and future public art displays at the venue are funded through Oklahoma City's 1% for Arts funds budgeted for the convention center.
Part of a Larger Art Collection Downtown
The Chihuly glass joins other works displayed at the convention center. Howdy, a 17-by-20-foot mural by local artist Nick Bayer, hangs prominently on the first-floor lobby wall, according to the Oklahoma City Convention Center. That mural was funded through the city's 1% arts ordinance, which applies to public projects over $1 million — the same funding mechanism now supporting the Chihuly loan.
Elsewhere in the building, visitors can find Ernesto Sanchez's 9-by-20-foot oil painting Massive Communication, also on loan from the museum, as well as Beautiful Mystical Exploding Sun Clouds Taste Metallic Gift, a painting by Wayne Coyne and Damien Hirst. The center also displays Virtual Sky by Susan Narduli of Narduli Studio, rounding out a mix of large-scale works spread across its floors.
