Tulsa’s OKPOP Museum is nearing completion as state Senate bill passes

TULSA — Among the plain white walls and industrial shelving, treasures like a black hat with an intricate beaded band once owned by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell, a colorful portrait of Grammy winner JJ Cale by famed Lawton painter Robert Peterson and a yellow Telecaster that belonged to Native American “guitar hero” Jesse Ed Davis are safely tucked away in the Oklahoma Folklore Museum’s vault.

But Jake Krumwiede, director of the not-yet-open Tulsa museum, also known as OKPOP, looks forward to the day when these historic objects and others like them can be brought out of the vault and shared with the public in the galleries.

“Every day, it’s ‘What great things are we going to see?’ and “what cool people are we going to meet?” It just never ends and I love it,” Krumwiede told The Oklahoman during a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum in January.

“That’s the exciting thing, as we get closer to fundraising and … getting all the collections we need, every day feels closer and closer to our goal.”

The Oklahoma Historical Society Museum reached a major milestone toward completion as Oklahoma’s 2024 legislative session came to a close: A bill establishing a revolving fund for OKPOP passed the state Senate on May 28 and Oklahoma House on May 30, the last day of the session. Senate Bill 1155 establishes a fund to hold $18 million withheld by lawmakers last session until matching funds are raised.

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“We are grateful for the legislators who helped pass this bill so we can access the money previously appropriated for this world-class museum,” said Krumwiede, who took over the leadership of the downtown Tulsa landmark last fall, in – an email.

“This legislation is necessary to put us on the path to completing the museum.”

The bill now joins hundreds sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk to be signed into law. If signed, it will take effect on July 1.

During a May 31 press conference, Stitt said he anticipated signing SB 1155 because it was part of the budget negotiations and “I agreed not to veto certain things that we agreed on.”

“So we’re probably going to cross the finish line,” he said.

What’s the idea behind the OKPOP Museum in Tulsa?

Originally announced in 2009, the OKPOP Museum is “dedicated to the creative spirit of the people of Oklahoma and the influence of Oklahoma artists on popular culture around the world.”

“The purpose of this museum is to inspire people, to show people how important creativity is, what we can do with creativity and how the people of Oklahoma have impacted the world through creativity,” Krumwiede said.

Located in Tulsa’s bustling arts district across from the legendary Cain’s Ballroom, the museum is meant to highlight a host of Sooner State celebrities, from musicians like Blake Shelton, The Flaming Lips, Gap Band and the late Toby Keith, to the stage. and screen stars such as Alfre Woodard, Brad Pitt, Kristin Chenoweth and Olivia Munn.

“We don’t just want this to be the hall of fame or greatest hits. We don’t just want this museum to look at Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks and some of our great movie stars,” the Oklahoma Historical Society said. Executive Director Trait Thompson.

“We want people to see a little bit of their interests, no matter where they look in the museum, whether it’s someone who designed a comic book, whether it’s someone who’s a producer of the Marvel franchise, whether it’s someone who can he’s a music producer, like Scott Hendricks in Nashville.”

Music Archivist Mark Dempsey said the OKPOP team began four years ago to compile a list of Oklahoma musicians, actors, authors and more. It now numbers about 5,000 people, and employees have already archived about 1,000 video interviews and counting.

What can people expect to see in the upcoming OKPOP museum?

The state historical society opened the 60,000-square-foot museum in the fall of 2019 after receiving $25 million in bond funds from the state to build it. Construction of the exterior of the three-story building was completed in 2021.

Since then, staff and supporters have worked to complete the design, construction and installation of exhibits that will put heart and soul into what is, for now, largely an empty shell.

The second floor of the Oklahoma Historical Society project will tell stories of how Oklahomans have been influential forces in film, television, literature, theater and more. The museum’s exhibit design must be nimble enough to keep up with the Sooner State’s ongoing contributions to pop culture, from the release of new movies like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and the upcoming “Twisters” to new musicals like the hit off- Broadway “Dead Outlaw” and Tony-nominated “The Outsiders.”

“The challenging part about a museum like this is that when you talk about the breadth and range of popular culture in Oklahoma, it’s huge… You’re never going to be able to tell all the stories of all of them. at a time, so the challenge is, what stories do you tell and how do you tell them in a way that’s compelling?” Thompson said. “The good part is, we’ll never run out of stories to tell.”

The entire third floor will be dedicated to the Sooner State’s vast and diverse musical history.

“We’re in the business of telling stories … and we’re going to have guitars and clothing and sheet music and keyboards and all kinds of things,” Dempsey said. “We’ll have a working studio in the back…open to young musicians who want to come in who have never recorded, train them on how to use the recording equipment, let them do their first demos.”

OKPOP curators have been building the museum’s collections, recently adding artifacts from the late Oscar-nominated actor James Garner, “The Golden Girls” star Rue McClanahan and country singer Ramona Reed, who became the first “Texas Playgirl” to tour with western swing. Bob Wills icon.

“He kept everything: he had her uniforms, her pictures, her letters. She still had her letter from the Grand Ole Opry that said, “No, don’t come,” when she wrote them and said she wanted to try them out. So she went anyway and entered the first night,” Reed’s son John Blair said at a March event at OKPOP where he previewed his collection.

“This is absolutely where it’s at, and people need to know about this museum … because there’s so much here.”

What’s next for the half-finished OKPOP Museum?

With Blake Shelton as its honorary campaign chairman, the OKPOP Foundation raised funds to match what the state set aside to complete the long-awaited museum.

So far, Krumwiede said the foundation has raised more than $8 million toward its $18 million goal, with plans to launch a public fundraising campaign later in the year.

Once the $36 million in funds are in hand, historical society officials said they hope to complete the exhibits and open the museum within 18 to 24 months.

Back in the OKPOP vault earlier this year, Krumwiede gazed with determination at a red 1965 Mosrite Ventures II model guitar that the museum recently acquired from the estate of the late Lahoma native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer of Fame Nokie Edwards, from the legendary surf-rock band The Ventures.

“I’m not here to make a fuss: we’re here to open this place up and do everything we can to get this thing across the finish line. Krumwiede said.