Rye Stacks (ca. 1909) by Ellen (Nellie) ShepherdOklahoma City Museum of Art
These eight artists are a few of the many Oklahoma artists who were also the teachers and tastemakers of Oklahoma art in the early twentieth century. Their instruction, guidance, and work helped produce a vibrant and diverse art community in Oklahoma.
Antonio by Martha AveyOklahoma City Museum of Art
Martha Avey (1872-1943)
Avey influenced art in Oklahoma through her work as an artist and teacher. She was the first art supervisor for the Oklahoma City public school system and founded Oklahoma City University’s art department. She was also a member of art social clubs like the Oklahoma Art League.
Lottie (ca. 1910) by Ellen (Nellie) ShepherdOklahoma City Museum of Art
Ellen “Nellie” Shepherd (1877-1920)
Nellie Shepherd was one of Oklahoma’s earliest professional artists. She attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati and studied in Paris. In 1910, Shepherd submitted this portrait to the Grand Salon in Paris and was one of only two of 800 American artists selected.
Brittany Woman (ca. 1907-1911) by Ellen (Nellie) ShepherdOklahoma City Museum of Art
In 1910, Shephard cofounded the Oklahoma Art League, an organization that sponsored art education and collected artworks to start a permanent collection and subsequent museum. She later became the art department head for the Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha in 1917.
Mist and Moonlight (ca. 1909) by Adah RobinsonOklahoma City Museum of Art
Adah Robinson (1882-1962)
As an artist and teacher, Robinson was a central figure in Oklahoma art. She taught privately and in Oklahoma City public schools before founding the University of Tulsa art department in 1928. She also established the Alpha Rho Tau art fraternity and the Tulsa Art Association.
Horse Thief Canyon, Oklahoma (1949) by Oscar Brousse JacobsonOklahoma City Museum of Art
Oscar Brousse Jacobson (1882-1966)
Jacobson was a champion of early twentieth-century art in Oklahoma. From 1915 to 1954, he was a professor and director of the School of Art at the University of Oklahoma, where he famously instructed the Kiowa Six, a group of Kiowa artists who came to study there.
Light Soil (1949) by Oscar Brousse JacobsonOklahoma City Museum of Art
A prolific Southwest landscape painter, Jacobson exhibited his work throughout the United States and won numerous awards. He also founded the Association of Oklahoma Artists and participated as a juror for many art shows. In 1949, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Love-Call (1931) by Stephen MopopeOklahoma City Museum of Art
Stephen Mopope (1898-1974)
Mopope was a Kiowa painter, dancer, flute player, and one of the most prolific members of the Kiowa Six. He was one of six Native American artists commissioned to paint murals in a new federal building for the US Department of the Interior in Washington, DC.
Untitled (Rockport Harbor, Rockport, Massachusetts) (1926) by Nan SheetsOklahoma City Museum of Art
Nan Sheets (1885-1976)
Painter Nan Sheets helped establish the art community in central Oklahoma. In the 1920s, Sheets established her home, “The Elms,” as Oklahoma City's salon. Here, she exhibited her work, brought in artists from across the United States, and hosted many art social clubs.
Early Evening, Taos (1966) by Nan SheetsOklahoma City Museum of Art
Sheets helped facilitate New Deal art projects in Oklahoma from 1934 to 1942. She served as the director of the Federal Art Project’s Oklahoma Art Center and ensured its survival after World War II. She was also the first director of this Museum until her retirement in 1965.
Pink Sand (no date) by Doel ReedOklahoma City Museum of Art
Doel Reed (1894-1985)
After serving in World War I, Reed returned to the Art Academy of Cincinnati in 1919 to finish his studies. Known for his depictions of Oklahoma and the Southwest, Reed was a highly successful painter and printmaker and won numerous national and international awards.
The Canyon (1958) by Doel ReedOklahoma City Museum of Art
In 1924, Reed accepted a teaching position at Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University). For thirty-five years, he cultivated the art department and taught and influenced many artists in Oklahoma. When he retired, he moved to Taos to devote himself to making art.
Soil and Subsoil (1946) by Alexandre HogueOklahoma City Museum of Art
Alexandre Hogue (1898-1994)
Best known for his Dust Bowl scenes, Hogue’s art explored the relationship between humans and the earth and often exposed the catastrophic environmental consequences of agricultural practices. He moved to Oklahoma in 1945 to head the art department at the University of Tulsa.
Content By:
Michaela Wegman, Curatorial Fellow, OKCMOA
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