From movies to art shows, these Oklahoma events are celebrating Black History Month
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More than 50 years after his death, William H. Johnson is finally having a moment.
A 20th-century Black artist (1901-1970) who died in obscurity but has gained prominence in recent years, Johnson's "Fighters for Freedom" series of figurative paintings is touring the country in an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
"If you're thinking about what's happening in the 1940s ... you're thinking about mid-century abstraction. So, this feels different. It's out of step," said Michael Anderson, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the traveling exhibit's new stop.
"But tastes and values change, so what's overlooked in in the 1940s can come to feel very important many years later."
The South Carolina native's paintings depict African American icons from Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver to Marian Anderson and Crispus Attucks in colorful folk art style.
The last series Johnson painted before his wife's 1944 death plunged him into a dramatic physical and mental decline, "Fighters for Freedom" pays homage to influential Black activists, scientists and performers, along with international heads of state working to bring peace to the world. So, the exhibit's February OKC bow is perfectly timed for Black History Month.
"More than that, it's important to have these shows up ... during the school year," Anderson said. "These are going to be great exhibitions for school tours."
The OKC Museum of Art is showing "Fighters for Freedom" alongside another timely traveling exhibit: “Art and Activism at Tougaloo College" showcases artworks from the collection of the historically Black Mississippi college, which played a central role in the 1960s civil rights movement and the fight for racial equality. In 1963, the college not only gained national attention when students and professors staged a sit-in at Woolworth’s in Jackson but also formed its art collection, the state's first focused on modern art.
"In this exhibition, there are both these European modernist artists like Picasso but then artists like Robert Duncanson and Alma Thomas, Black artists who really did progress the art form in the 19th and 20th centuries," Anderson said.
The downtown OKC museum's visiting exhibits are just two of the many events where Oklahomans can celebrate Black history during February and beyond:
'Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice' and 'Art and Activism at Tougaloo College'
When: Through May 14.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
Information: https://www.okcmoa.com.
The complementary exhibits focus on works by Black artists, including many depicting Black subjects.
Heritage Activity Table: Black History
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Feb. 28.
Where: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63.
Information: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Visitors can explore the galleries and learn about the different perspectives of Black history in the West, with particular focus on the African American soldiers known as Buffalo Soldiers.
'Voices'
When: Through Feb. 21.
Where: Crystal Bridge Visitor Lobby at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno Ave.
Information: https://myriadgardens.org/voicesartexhibit.
The exhibit explores the perspectives of six Oklahoma Black artists — Ebony Iman Dallas, Aunj Braggs, Myriah Downs, Verdean Evergarden, Edward Grady and Elizabeth Henley — and how they use art to communicate and reflect. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Black History Month with Rodeo Cinema
When: Various dates in February.
Where: Rodeo Theatre at Stockyards, 2221 Exchange Ave.
Information: https://www.rodeocinema.org.
The OKC nonprofit movie theater's Black History Month film series includes Spike Lee's two-time Oscar nominee "Do the Right Thing" at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 and Lee's musical drama "Mo Better Blues" at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
'Black Cowboy: The Legacy'
When: Through Feb. 28.
Where: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan.
Information: https://onthechisholmtrail.com.
The exhibit features 15 bronze sculptures depicting Black cowboys by Oklahoma City artist LaQuincey Reed, who is the current Skirvin Hotel artist in residence. The solo show also includes the clay model of his latest Western sculpture, "Get Up and Go," which was commissioned by the heritage center.
CUE-Cinema Under Exploration: Black History Month
When: 3 p.m. Sundays in February.
Where: Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.
Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/blackhistorymonth.
The free Sunday afternoon film series continues with a Black History Month theme. Upcoming screenings include the 2021 PBS Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial documentary "Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten" on Feb. 26.
Lyric Theatre's 'Big River: Theatre For Young Audiences Version'
When: Performances through March 11.
Where: Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16.
Information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.
The OKC theater launches its 60th anniversary season with a family-friendly hourlong version of the 1985 Tony Award-winning musical featuring music by Oklahoma's own Roger Miller. Based on Mark Twain's popular and frequently banned novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the show takes audiences down the mighty Mississippi River while celebrating the unlikely friendship between Huck and Jim. But Lyric's production updates the two main roles and makes "adjustments for period-specific language."
Black History Month at Circle Cinema
When: Various dates in February.
Where: Circle Cinema, Tulsa.
Information: https://www.circlecinema.org.
Tulsa's nonprofit movie theater is planning multiple films for Black History Month, including the locally made documentaries "Crown" and "Rebuilding Black Wall Street: My Life," screening through Feb. 23; the 1993 Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur drama "Poetic Justice," showing at 7 p.m. Feb. 23; and a free screening of the family-friendly short film "The Rainbow Prince" at 11 a.m. Feb. 25.
Tulsa in Harmony
When: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays in February.
Where: ONEOK Boathouse at the Gathering Place, Tulsa.
Information: https://www.gatheringplace.org.
The weekly Black History Month celebration of art and culture is highlighting a different local musician and artist from history each Saturday. Plus, an installation of art by Tulsa's Black Moon Collective is on view throughout February inside the boathouse.
'Good Hair'
When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
Where: Almonte Library, 2914 SW 59.
Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/blackhistorymonth.
Prompted by a question from his young daughter, comedian Chris Rock explores the importance of hair in Black culture in this 2009 documentary.
J.O.B. Black History Month Celebration
When: 6 p.m. Feb. 24.
Where: Cole Community Center, 4400 Northwest Expressway.
Information: Eventbrite.com.
The Jayden Oliver Basketball Foundation's gala event will feature keynote speakers CeCe Jones-Davis, Antionette Jones, Momma Jones and Jabee Williams.
'Soul II Soul Tour'
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 24.
Where: Paycom Center, 100 W Reno.
Information: https://www.paycomcenter.com.
KEM and Ledisi perform at the OKC arena, along with special guest Musiq Soulchild.
'You People' free screening and discussion
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 25.
Where: Rodeo Theatre at Stockyards.
Information: https://www.facebook.com/RodeoCinema.
Before Netflix released its 2023 comedy "You People" starring Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill and Lauren London, OKC filmmaker Laron Chapman won Best Oklahoma Film at the 2018 deadCenter Film Festival with his indie movie "You People," a personal dramedy that delves into issues of identity, sexuality and race. Chapman will participate in a discussion after the screening.
Ardmore Black History Month Celebration
When: 5 p.m. Feb. 26.
Where: HFV Wilson Center, Ardmore.
Information: https://hfvwilsoncenter.com/event/black-history-month-celebration.
The program will include a guest speaker, songs, skits and poems.
The Urban Poets
When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
Where: Ralph Ellison Library, 2000 NE 23.
Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/event/urban-poets-8.
The Society of Urban Poets presents its annual Black History Month film screening and discussion. This year's event is showcasing Margaret Brown's new documentary "Descendant," which follows the denizens of the small Alabama community of Africatown as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport human beings as cargo from Africa to America.
Step Afrika!
When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28.
Where: Oklahoma City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center, 7777 S May Ave.
Information: https://www.occc.edu/visual-and-performing-arts-center.
Incorporating storytelling, humor and audience participation, the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping puts on a show that fuses the percussive dance styles practiced by historically Black college fraternities and sororities with traditional African dances and a variety of contemporary dance art forms.
How to learn about and celebrate Black history beyond February
Since celebrating and learning about Black history doesn't have to be limited to February, here are additional Oklahoma events scheduled beyond the second month of 2023:
Heritage Activity Table: Women's History
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily March 1-31.
Where: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Information: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Visitors can learn about the resilient women who built the West during March, which is Women's History Month, with special focus on Stagecoach Mary Fields, the first Black woman mail carrier in the United States.
'A Raisin in the Sun'
When: March 2-12.
Where: Civic Center CitySpace Theatre.
Information: https://www.okcciviccenter.com.
Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation presents the acclaimed 1959 Broadway hit written by Lorraine Hansberry. The drama follows a Black family hoping to use a $10,000 life insurance check to build a better life.
The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra
When: 7:30 p.m. March 3.
Where: McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, Stillwater.
Information: https://mcknightcenter.org.
The jazz outfit continues the legacy of the late, great pianist, bandleader and composer (1904-1984).
RACE Dance Collective Black History Month Program
When: 1:30 p.m. March 7.
Where: Southern Oaks Library, 6900 S Walker Ave.
Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/blackhistorymonth.
The nonprofit arts organization's dance performance will include a discussion of Black history and the influence of African culture on hip hop, contemporary dance and popular music.
University of Central Oklahoma's 'White'
When: 7:30 p.m. March 9-11 and 2 p.m. March 12
Where: Mitchell Hall Theatre Studio, Edmond.
Information: https://www.uco.edu/cfad/mitchell-hall.
The UCO chapter of the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society performs Pulitzer Prize-winning Black playwright James Ijames' comedy about a white artist named Gus who enlists an aspiring Black actress named Vanessa to create an audacious new artistic persona to get his work into a museum exhibit spotlighting diverse voices.
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre's 'The Brothers Size'
When: April 27-May 7.
Where: Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Te Ata Theater, 11 NW 11.
Information: https://www.okcrep.org.
Along with winning an Academy Award for adapting his semi-autobiographical play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" into the 2017 Best Picture winner "Moonlight," Tarell Alvin McCraney penned "The Brother/Sister Plays," three interconnected stories set in the Louisiana bayou. Making its Oklahoma premiere, "The Brothers Size" is one-third of his trio of contemporary stories incorporating poetry, music, dance and West African mythology.
'Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert'
When: 8 p.m. April 28-29.
Where: Civic Center.
Information: https://www.okcphil.org.
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic will perform the thrilling score of the trailblazing 2018 blockbuster live while the superheroic Oscar-winning movie plays on a big screen.
'An Evening with Leslie Odom Jr.'
When: 7:30 p.m. April 28-29.
Where: McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, Stillwater.
Information: https://mcknightcenter.org.
The two-time Oscar-nominated, Tony- and Grammy Award-winning and three-time Emmy-nominated entertainer best known for the smash musical "Hamilton" performs his favorite music from Broadway and beyond.
OKC Philharmonic's 'Oklahoma Stories: Clara Luper Centennial'
When: 8 p.m. May 13.
Where: Civic Center.
Information: https://www.okcphil.org.
This year, Oklahomans are marking the centennial of local civil rights icon Clara Luper's May 3, 1923, birth as well as the 65th anniversary of the 1958 Katz Drug Store sit-in she led. The orchestra's Classics season closer will celebrate Luper's legacy with a program including Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman," Leonard Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story" and the world premiere of Hannibal Lokumbe's "Trials, Tears, Transcendence: The Journey of Clara Luper," a new piece commissioned by the OKC Philharmonic.
More:Maestro Mickelthwate: Clara Luper tribute to honor OKC civil rights movement
Lizzo
When: 8 p.m. May 20.
Where: BOK Center, Tulsa.
Information: https://bokcenter.com.
The three-time Grammy-winning singer, rapper and flautist will make her Sooner State debut on "The Special 2our."
Lyric Theatre's 'Ain’t Misbehavin’'
When: July 25-30.
Where: Civic Center Music Hall.
Information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com.
Lyric will return to 1920s Harlem with the 1978 winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, which pays homage to the music of jazz innovator Fats Waller. Monique Midgette will direct Lyric's three-show Summer at the Civic Center finale, which features lively hit songs like “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Your Feet’s Too Big” and “T’aint Nobody’s Business if I Do."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Celebrate Black History Month in Oklahoma with films, music and art
