Curated and managed by the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Oklahoma State Art Collection is comprised of works created by notable artists with strong Oklahoma connections. Artists with works in the collection were born in Oklahoma, trained here, or they lived in Oklahoma for a meaningful period of time.
In conjunction with the collection's establishment in 1971, the State Art Collection Committee was founded to review and approve all proposals for new acquisitions into the collection. Comprised of leading art authorities from various regions of the state, the committee shares the commitment of the collection's mission, which is to acquire and preserve a collection that reflects the most important aesthetic achievements of the visual arts by artists who have a connection to our state.
Donated Artwork
Artwork is acquired through donation only. Any entity, group or individual may submit a proposal to the committee for the review and approval. No artwork is accepted into the collection on a short or long-term loan basis. All works in the collection are owned by the State of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Arts Council acts as trustee of the collection.
Guidelines and Standards for Artwork
Factors taken into consideration in the approval of new acquisitions include, but is not limited to: artist's connection to the state; artistic excellence and artistic merit of the artwork; and, cohesiveness in relation to other comparable works within the collection in size, style, theme, and general appearance.
Submissions of Proposals
For artwork to be considered by the committee, the following materials must be emailed to the Chair of the State Art Collection, as instructed below:
- Donor's contact information
- Artist, title, medium, date, and dimensions of artwork
- High-resolution photograph(s) of the artwork
- Provenance (history of acquisition or purchase of the artwork)
- Any additional information of the exhibition and history of the artwork
Submission of a proposal does not guarantee the acceptance of artwork. If a donated work is approved, all parties must comply with the complete guidelines for new acquisitions, outlined in the Oklahoma Arts Council and State Art Collection Committee policies.
For additional information, please contact the Oklahoma Arts Council at (405) 521-2931.
Proposals must be emailed to:
Chair, State Art Collection Committee
c/o Liam Larson, Collections Manager, Oklahoma Arts Council
liam.larson@arts.ok.gov
