I did it!

Hmm. I wonder if they'll let me accept tips.

The last time I was at Philbrook was probably the mid-90s when they had already undergone a massive redo. It was gorgeous... but not quite as personal as it had been in the past, at least to me. They wouldn't just let you wander in to the library anymore. In the olden days everything was easy access and no questions asked. If you minded your manners they were happy to see you.

Mr. B was talking to his mom on the phone tonight and they were discussing that maybe we would visit this summer. I will be expecting my own guided tour and I can fill you in on the many misdemenors I committed on the grounds...

Oh -- I meant to ask:

I was browsing through the museum website and noticed all of the American art they are showing. Did they reclaim their works from Gilcrease and Woolaroc or are a lot of things still on exhibit there?

I love Woolaroc too (Mr. B's grandma volunteered out there for years and years). The Phillips were amazing people and they collected some incredible art.

The Phillips, are those the same people/any connection with the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC? That's one of my alltime favorite galleries. I think the Santa Barbara Museum showed a lot of work from the Phillips Collection too; that was another favorite musuem.

I haven't told anyone here on A2K that I've been doing this, but now that it's accomplished, it's time.

I was accepted into the Docent Internship program at my favorite art museum here in Tulsa last September. 40 people applied, only 20 were accepted. It involved nine months of fairly intensive training, including weekly 3-hour classes, outside research, practice tours, and in-depth evaluations by museum staff as well as mentors. It was much tougher than I ever would have anticipated. In the end, only 8 of us qualified.

I gave my first public tour a week ago today, and will officially "graduate" on the 24th. In addition to giving regular public tours for various groups and ages, I may also speak to community groups in the coming months and years.

This is something I've wanted to do for many years, but I always thought I'd save it for retirement. Last year I decided I was wasting time...I should go for it now. I'm glad I did. It's been a lot of work, but it feels like a major accomplishment.

Here's a link to the museum: http://www.philbrook.org

To give you a sample...

For my first tour, I capitalized on my marketing/p.r. background and chose pieces that told interesting stories about the way art has been bought and sold. I included pieces from French Academic (Salon), Early American Portraits, Italian Renaissance, Ming Dynasty tradeware, Taos School, Thomas Moran, Native American, African and Contemporary galleries.

Thanks, all!
BBB - Did you know Alexandre Hogue was the Head of the Art Department at Tulsa University for some time? Here's a link to another of his paintings which is owned by Philbrook..."Mother Earth Laid Bare." It was painted during the Depression (1938), but the imagery is just as powerful (if more political) today.
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~amerstu/ce/summer97/images/Mother.jpeg