By Emily Duncan, Staff Writer
"Juno triumphant, as Queen of the Air," painted in 1735 with oil on canvas by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian 1696-1770). The painting was donated by the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation.
Students, faculty and staff looking for a free activity and a chance to learn about art can check out the OKC Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive from Sept. 20-26.
Through a grant received five years ago, The Center for Excellence in Teaching was engaged to infuse the arts into the OCU curriculum, said Chris Garrett, director of the center.
Offering free admission to the art museum for the past three years is one of the ways The Center for Excellence in Teaching officials have encouraged faculty to integrate art into their teaching to enhance and supplement it, Garrett said.
The free admission this semester was possible by an upfront promotional fee university officials paid to the museum. Garrett declined to comment about the fee’s amount.
Last fall, 228 faculty, staff and students attended the museum. This year Garrett said he hopes more people will attend the event.
“I think studying the arts is important in our study of the humanities,” he said. “In teaching any course by including art we can engage our students and enhance the learning in the classroom.”
Kayla Freeman, theater design/production freshman thinks art is integral in any part of learning.
“I don’t think it’s emphasized enough unless you’re in a specific art class,” she said. “So if students gain more knowledge about art then they can start discussing it in class.”
A special presentation given by curators from the museum will be from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Sept. 23 in Room 214 in Dulaney-Browne Library. They will be introducing a special exhibit, “La Serenissima: Eighteenth-Century Venetian Art from North American Collections.”
Another special exhibit featured at the museum will include “New Frontiers/ Jonathan Hils: Intersection.”
James Grandjean, acting freshman, said he plans taking advantage of the free admission.
“I’m the type of person that would be interested in going,” he said. “I’ve heard that Oklahoma City has a great art museum.”
To be ensured free admission, faculty, staff and students must show their OCU ID.
For more information on both exhibits click here. For more information on both exhibits visit the Oklahoma City Museum of Art website.
