The monthly event features free admission, a members-only lounge and a new log cabin.
On the second Saturday of every month, the Philbrook Museum of Art opens to the public for free. Although students at the University of Tulsa always get free admission with their student IDs, family and friends outside of school can visit for free and feel like TU students during these special events. Beyond free admission, this monthly promotion offers several activities and opportunities for visitors to take part in throughout the entire day.
Philbrook offers daily tours of the galleries led by docents, but during Second Saturdays, they plan special tours and start them more frequently. This month, docents led tours to a new installation of a log cabin that will be a permanent fixture in the gardens. During these tours, visitors could look inside of this Karl Unnasch creation that will act as a gathering space to “inspire and facilitate programming,” according to Philbrook’s website.
Another specialized tour scheduled for Second Saturday is the “Story Time Tour” intended to get children involved and interested in art. Three times a day, guests meet to walk around the museum and stop to read stories. This project was created in partnership with the Tulsa City County Library, which also set up a booth in the lobby to encourage guests at the Philbrook to visit the library and sign up for a library card.
Throughout the day, along with these scheduled tours, there were also stations set up for continuous activities. In the Great Hall, visitors were able to enjoy the scenery of the Philbrook gardens through glass doors while challenging each other to games of chess. Several tables with chess boards are laid out to encourage participation.
Although Second Saturdays are open to anyone, members especially are able to experience Philbrook in a more interactive way during these festivities. This includes access to a section of the museum that contains a print shop and members’ lounge. Here, members have access to free coffee and beer and can buy artists’ prints made in the Philbrook print shop.
Members were also able to view the new exhibition, “Amazing!” before its grand opening to the public on Oct. 14. This exhibition features prints from the American abstract artist Mel Bochner. His creation of prints during the ‘60s are divided into three sections at the Philbrook: language, numbers and perspective. Over 50 of his prints are in this exhibition, displaying the large scope and variety in Bochner’s work.
Second Saturdays are not the only monthly event Philbrook offers. Along with participation in First Friday art crawls, Philbrook also hosts events on the third and fourth Fridays of every month. During Third Fridays, Philbrook opens its gardens to visitors with food and attractions like live music or guest speakers. For this Third Friday, Oct. 19, Philbrook will host a talk by Jordan Schnitzer and Mel Bochner, the artist featured in the “Amazing!” exhibition.
Fourth Fridays are celebrated with screenings of films in the garden or inside the museum depending on the weather. The upcoming Fourth Friday, Oct. 26, will have screenings of “Labyrinth” and “The Shining” in honor of Halloween.
Philbrook hosts multiple events throughout the year that encourage the Tulsa community to get involved with the museum and continue learning about art. Although TU students always get free admission, these events are especially great times to visit. For more information on Philbrook happenings, check out the calendar of events listings on their website https://philbrook.org.
