Recent Exhibitions
October 26, 6 – 8 p.m.
Opening Reception for “Celebrating Oklahoma!” and Book Signing
Join Lt. Governor Jari Askins and official Centennial photographer Mike Klemme for the opening of “Celebrating Oklahoma!” where copies of the 288-page book will be signed by both the Lt. Governor and Klemme. The event is free and open to the public. Learn More
July 14 – October 14, 2007Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie
“Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie” combines the work of four past exhibitions by MacKenzie, several of which are published in three books: “Abandonings,” “American Ruins: Ghosts on the Landscape,” and the recently released “Markings.” The fourth collection on display is MacKenzie's study of tobacco barns of the southern states, which are being demolished to make room for residential and commercial development.
MacKenzie’s work is a memorial for a passing way of life in rural America and a documentation of early settlers’ land and shelters. The photographer discovered these forgotten dwellings in his ultralight glider, which he trained himself to fly without hands in order to capture the shapes and shadows below. Using his Nikon F-5 35 mm camera, MacKenzie has created a body of work that is both timeless and memorable.
Maxwell MacKenzie Books Available in the IPHF Gift Shop:
Abandonings
American Ruins
Markings
April 14 – July 8, 2007
THE CENTENARIANS Salt of the Red Earth: Ageless Portraits of Oklahoma’s Elders by M.J. Alexander
“THE CENTENARIANS” features over 100 brilliant portraits of the oldest citizens of one of America’s youngest states, who were born before or during Oklahoma’s year of statehood, 2007. Accompanied by intelligent quotes from each sitter, the portraits attest to wit and wisdom one gains from 100 years of life.
In preparation for the Centennial celebration, M.J. Alexander traveled more than 4,000 miles of dirt roads, main streets and interstates to photograph and interview more than 100 centenarians. In the beginning, she expected to find enough elders for a small photo feature, but as word of her project grew, her list of names grew. As of 2007, and estimated 400 centenarians live in Oklahoma. “THE CENTENARIANS” exhibit represents 100 of these unique individuals.
M.J. Alexander is a photographer and writer who explores the people and places of the American west, combining the vision of an artist with the skills of a storyteller. Her photographs have been published in the United States and abroad and exhibited in venues ranging from Pleiades Gallery of New York City to New Mexico 's Hubbard Museum of the American West.
Her first book, Salt of the Red Earth: A Century of Wit and Wisdom from Oklahoma's Centenarians , featuring portraits and quotes culled from her interviews with the state's pioneers, was released in May 2007 by the Oklahoma Heritage Association.
March 31 – June 25, 2007
Oklahoma Dreams: Photography
by Wilson Roberts
Abandoned farmhouses, desolate barns, fence lines left untended: these are the relics that dot the rural landscape of Oklahoma , serving as distant reminders of simpler days gone by. Such scenes are common in our young nation, and are easily found along Oklahoma roads and highways. It's the lonely places of deserted farms that photographer Wilson Roberts chose to capture in the exhibition, “Oklahoma Dreams: Photography by Wilson Roberts.”
