Get a sneak peek of “The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later” at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art with curator, Roja Najafi in these social media videos I filmed for the museum.
I also created an Instagram version as well, fitting the platform’s criteria.
In 1968, the Oklahoma Art Center, OKCMOA’s predecessor, purchased the 154-piece permanent collection of the Washington Gallery of Modern Art (WGMA), the first art museum in the nation’s capital dedicated to the collection of contemporary art. That decision transformed Oklahoma City’s collection of contemporary art.
On February 17, 2018, on OKCMOA’s first floor, The New Art: A Milestone Collection Fifty Years Later honors this extraordinary collection on this major anniversary, presenting longstanding Museum highlights by Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, Grace Hartigan, Sam Gilliam, Robert Indiana, and Paul Reed, along with the rarely shown works by Morris Louis and Lee Bontecou. Their work, and the work of many other artists, forms the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s outstanding collection of postwar American art from the 1950s and 1960s.
For delicious handmade macarons, pastries, gourmet doughnuts, Belle Kitchen in Oklahoma City makes their treats completely from scratch using only the best ingredients from simple recipes.
This is a re-edited video that I originally shot back in 2016 hence why some of the shots and sound aren’t as smooth. The weather and scheduling conflicts have prevented me from making a new video this week so I hope you enjoy this one! If you haven’t watched last week’s video about venues worth renting in Oklahoma City, go watch that too. If you want something new and unreleased, over at Patreon I shared the raw interviews of a new series.
Stay warm!
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Death visits a coffee shop for their espresso machine.
Janet had seen all kinds of weirdness since opening Humming Bird Coffee in the art-centric town of Norman, Oklahoma, six years ago. Every holiday was a grandiose event. For Halloween, giant inflatables overtook the downtown streets for a family-friendly festival. For Mardi Gras, which wasn’t a major holiday for the region, people gathered on the cold winter night to have a circling parade. However, no holiday could top the popularity of the city’s yearly free music festival in April.
It was common for the Norman Music Festival to see people in elaborate outfits to promote bands or dance with them on stage. However, Janet had never seen a costume complicated as the one that stood before her. For starters, they were nine feet tall. She wasn’t sure how she missed them entering her coffee shop. It was as if they had simply appeared. The figure wore a hooded robe of dirt that moved along like ocean waves. Somehow, Janet got the smell of fresh dirt on a foggy morning in her mind. Their body was of a human skeleton while in the eye sockets where a pair of arctic, soul-sucking spheres of blue flames. Matching the blue eyes was a techno-punk scythe with a neon blue blade.
“Hi, what can I get you?” Janet asked like any other customer.
Death paused, staring at Janet to see if she was referring to him. “You can see me?”
“Of course. I love your costume. Are you with one of the bands?”
“No, I’m here for the General,” Death said.
“The General?” Janet repeated.
The General was not a person but the nickname for the beast of a coffee machine that Janet found at a flea market and rebuilt. Her employees often joked the device had a mind of its own and liked Janet the best.
“Of course. That’s why everyone comes here,” Janet said as she patted the large green espresso maker.
“Do you share a special bond with this General?”
“My staff teases me that I do.”
“That must explain why you can see me.”
There was a dark seriousness in Death’s tone that made Janet think of her brother, who took his own life.
Janet reached for Death’s hand. “Yes, I can see you. Everyone can see you. Look, I know we don’t know each other, but if you need someone to talk to, I can connect you with someone who can help you.”
“Who are you talking to, Janet?” Mick said, giving her a confused look.
“I’m talking to this fellow,” Janet answered, pointing at nothing Mick could see.
“There’s no one there.”
“Hey, don’t say that!” Janet snapped.
“Janet,” Death said with a firm tone. Janet turned and faced him. “He cannot see me, for I am Death.”
Death raised his arms, and time paused for all but Janet and himself as the room filled with darkness.
“Oh my god. Is it my time?”
“No,” Death said, annoyed. “I told you, I’m here for the General.”
“But the General is just a coffee machine…”
“No, I’m not, Janet.”
Janet spun around. Standing before her was her beloved coffee machine in an impish form.
“How?” was all Janet could say.
“I was leading a rebellion on Yellow Planet when I got severely damaged. During the battle, I got caught in a temporal attack that sent me to Earth, where you found me. You brought me a peaceful life, and that was all I ever wanted.”
Death walked through the counter and picked up the General in his arms. “I apologize for the false scare. Don’t worry, Janet. I don’t foresee visiting you personally anytime soon.”
The General saluted Janet. “It has been a privilege making coffee with you.”
Together, Death and the General floated down through the ground, taking the darkness with them, returning light and time.
“Janet,” Mick called out, waving his hands in front of Janet. “Are you okay?”
Janet looked around. Death was gone. Everything was normal for Norman. She turned to her coffee machine, which was still there, but the lights were out.
I initially wrote this short story back in February 2018. The story was inspired by the following writing prompt: “As you are sitting at your favorite café drinking your coffee, at the window and across the street, you see Death approaching, probably for you. Turns out the café just has really good coffee.”
After my marathon of short stories in 2020, I wanted to revisit my older works and so I updated this story in February 2021. I worked with Janine De Guzman at Design Pickle to bring the scene of Death visiting Humming Bird Coffee to life.
For this week’s video, I’ve highlighted several different places in Oklahoma City where you can host your next event. This story doesn’t include every single event venue available for rent, but it does showcase a wide variety of options and price points. Featured in this video is V2 at Vast, Plenty, the OKC Boathouses, The Paramount Room, Will Rogers Theatre, Myriad Botanical Gardens, The Farmers Market, and PhotoArt Studios. In the video, I’ve given each place about a minute to talk about themselves. Then over at Uncovering Oklahoma, there’s an article that goes into more details about what they offer.
With the proposals that come during Valentine’s Day, I thought a story about event venues would be appropriate. I got to thinking about this idea when I met up with an owner of an upcoming event venue space who reached out to me about a possible story. They, unfortunately, weren’t in the video because, at the time, they were doing some remodeling.
I’m curious to see how well this video does because it is a departure from my usual videos.
If you know someone who is getting married or hosting an event, be sure to share this video with them. Thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support.
When the haunted house attraction, The Sanctuary OKC, moved to their new location, they sought to expand their offerings with a restaurant, escape room games, and a live concert venue. Tino Pascuzzi and Leslie Damron talk about The Ruins Bar & Grille. Then in the second half of the video, Louie Hernandez and Christina Imboden discuss The Sanctuary Escape.
Their escape rooms are especially cool because the door you enter isn’t the door you exit. There are multiple rooms and sometimes you’ll have to backtrack to get out of another section. With the restaurant, you can eat before or after a game too.
Thank you to my supporters on Patreon, like the Superstar Supporter, Tobi Coleman! If you became a patron, you’ll get early access to my videos and bonus content. Plus, you’re helping me make more content. Thank you for watching!
