Fine Art Magazine Blog: artfuntour

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Oklahoma Contemporary: Oklahoma Artists to tour Nationally. in partnership with Art Bridges Foundation. See participating exhibitions details below.

Oklahoma Contomporaryoffers contact info for all who wish to host the exhibitions available for loan listed lested below.

Contact: Marie Butterline | 405-951-0000 | mbutterline@okcontemp.org
Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers media kit: https://bit.ly/FlagOfOurMothers

Oklahoma Contemporary Partners
with Art Bridges Foundation

Oklahoma Artists’ Work to Tour Nationally

OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 2, 2026) — Art Bridges Foundation, a Bentonville, Arkansas-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to American art, helps bring ambitious exhibitions to audiences across the country through its Traveling Exhibitions program. By partnering with organizing institutions and supporting venue coordination, loans, logistics and tour materials, Art Bridges enables exhibitions that might not otherwise have the resources to travel nationally to reach new communities. Beginning this November, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center will join the program through exhibitions featuring two Oklahoma-born artists.

Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers, opening in Oklahoma Contemporary’s Mary LeFlore Clements Gallery on Nov. 18, 2026, is the first major traveling exhibition devoted to the Norman-based Caddo artist. Halfmoon’s monumental stoneware sculptures unite Caddo pottery traditions with contemporary imagery, deeply physical surfaces and powerful explorations of history, gender and Indigenous identity. Organized by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the exhibition is coming to Oklahoma Contemporary through the Art Bridges Traveling Exhibitions program. Flags of Our Mothers will be on view at Oklahoma Contemporary through May 24, 2027.

In addition to hosting Flags of Our Mothers, Oklahoma Contemporary will also participate in the Art Bridges Traveling Exhibitions program as an originating institution. The recent exhibition Jakian Parks’ The Black Land: Rituals and Rejoicing in African American Rodeo Culture is available to museums and other institutions across the country to host as part of a future national tour.

The Black Land examines Black rodeo culture as a story of survival, resurgence and celebration. Centering the land as both a source of struggle and identity, the exhibition traces connections among forced labor, agriculture, horsemanship and contemporary Black equestrian life. It presents the American West as a living archive shaped by generations of Black cattlemen, cowboys and communities.

“Art Bridges and Oklahoma Contemporary share a deep commitment to making meaningful art experiences accessible to everyone. We are thrilled to welcome Raven Halfmoon’s Flags of Our Mothers to Oklahoma City through this partnership, while also expanding the reach of Jakian Parks' The Black Land through Art Bridges’ traveling exhibitions program. Together, these projects reflect our shared belief that powerful contemporary art can create connection, deepen understanding and reach audiences well beyond the walls of any one institution," said Trent Riley, Oklahoma Contemporary Executive Director.

Museums or cultural institutions interested in hosting this powerful exhibition can learn more about The Black Land: Rituals and Rejoicing in African American Rodeo Culture at https://artbridgesfoundation.org/exhibitions/the-black-land-rituals-and-rejoicing-in-african-american-rodeo-culture.

About Oklahoma Contemporary

Oklahoma Contemporary, formed in 1989 as City Arts Center by Christian Keesee and Kirkpatrick Foundation Director Marilyn Myers, is a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality, accessible and affordable arts programming. With a mission to encourage artistic expression in all its forms through education, exhibitions and performance, Oklahoma Contemporary is committed to instilling in the public a lifetime appreciation of the arts and enthusiasm for creative practice. For more information on free exhibitions, class schedules and public programs, visit oklahomacontemporary.org.

About Art Bridges Foundation

Art Bridges Foundation, the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton, creates and supports projects that share works of American art with communities across the United States and its territories. Since 2017, Art Bridges has partnered with a growing network of nearly 400 museums of many sizes — impacting 25 million people nationwide — to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans and programs designed to educate, inspire and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.

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Organizations interested in hosting The Black Land: Rituals and Rejoicing in African American Rodeo Culture can find more information at https://artbridgesfoundation.org/exhibitions/the-black-land-rituals-and-rejoicing-in-african-american-rodeo-culture. An exhibition webpage for Raven Halfmoon: Flags of Our Mothers can be found at okcontemp.org/RavenHalfmoon.