Black History Month runs gamut for Oklahomans
Music, film and art fill schedule for the month
More than 50 years after his death, William H. Johnson is finally having a moment.
A 20th-century Black artist (19011970) who died in obscurity but has gained prominence in recent years, Johnson’s “Fighters for Freedom” series of figurative paintings is touring the country in an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
“If you’re thinking about what’s happening in the 1940s ... you’re thinking about mid-century abstraction. So, this feels different. It’s out of step,” said Michael Anderson, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the traveling exhibit’s new stop.
The South Carolina native’s paintings depict African American icons from Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver to Marian Anderson and Crispus Attucks in colorful folk art style.
The last series Johnson painted before his wife’s 1944 death plunged him into a dramatic physical and mental decline, “Fighters for Freedom” pays homage to influential Black activists, scientists and performers, along with international heads of state working to bring peace to the world. So, the exhibit’s February OKC bow is perfectly timed for Black History Month.
The OKC Museum of Art is showing “Fighters for Freedom” alongside another timely traveling exhibit: “Art and Activism at Tougaloo College” showcases artworks from the collection of the historically Black Mississippi college, which played a central role in the 1960s civil rights movement and the fight for racial equality. In 1963, the college not only gained national attention when students and professors staged a sit-in at Woolworth’s in Jackson but also formed its art collection, the state’s first focused on modern art.
The downtown OKC museum’s visiting exhibits are just two of the many events where Oklahomans can celebrate Black history during February and beyond:
‘Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice’ and ‘Art and Activism at Tougaloo College’
● When: Through May 14. ● Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
● Information: https://www.okcmoa.com.
The complementary exhibits focus on works by Black artists, including many depicting Black subjects.
Heritage Activity Table: Black History
● When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Feb. 28.
● Where: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63.
● Information: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org.
Visitors can explore the galleries and learn about the different perspectives of Black history in the West, with particular focus on the African American soldiers known as Buffalo Soldiers.
‘Voices’
● When: Through Feb. 21.
● Where: Crystal Bridge Visitor Lobby at Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno Ave.
● Information: https://myriadgardens.org/voicesartexhibit.
The exhibit explores the perspectives of six Oklahoma Black artists — Ebony Iman Dallas, Aunj Braggs, Myriah Downs, Verdean Evergarden, Edward Grady and Elizabeth Henley — and how they use art to communicate and reflect.
Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Black History Month with Rodeo Cinema
h When: Various dates in February. h Where: Rodeo Theatre at Stockyards, 2221 Exchange Ave. h Information: https://www.rodeocinema.org. The OKC nonprofit movie theater’s Black History Month film series includes Spike Lee’s two-time Oscar nominee “Do the Right Thing” at 2 p.m. Feb. 26 and Lee’s musical drama “Mo Better Blues” at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27.
‘Black Cowboy: The Legacy’
h When: Through Feb. 28. h Where: Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan. Ih nformation: https://onthechisholmtrail.com. The exhibit features 15 bronze sculptures depicting Black cowboys by Oklahoma City artist LaQuincey Reed, who is the current Skirvin Hotel artist in residence. The solo show also includes the clay model of his latest Western sculpture, “Get Up and Go,” which was commissioned by the heritage center.
CUE-Cinema Under Exploration: Black History Month
h When: 3 p.m. Sundays in February. h Where: Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave. h Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/ blackhistorymonth.
The free Sunday afternoon film series continues with a Black History Month theme. Upcoming screenings include the 2021 PBS Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial documentary “Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten” on Feb. 26.
Lyric Theatre’s ‘Big River: Theatre For Young Audiences Version’
h When: Performances through March 11. h Where: Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16. h Information: https://lyrictheatreokc.com. The OKC theater launches its 60th anniversary season with a family-friendly hourlong version of the 1985 Tony Award-winning musical featuring music by Oklahoma’s own Roger Miller.
Based on Mark Twain’s popular and frequently banned novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the show takes audiences down the mighty Mississippi River while celebrating the unlikely friendship between Huck and Jim. But Lyric’s production updates the two main roles and makes “adjustments for period-specific language.”
Black History Month at Circle Cinema
h When: Various dates in February. h Where: Circle Cinema, Tulsa. h Information: https://www.circlecinema.org. Tulsa’s nonprofit movie theater is planning multiple films for Black History Month, including the locally made documentaries “Crown” and “Rebuilding Black Wall Street: My Life,” screening through Feb. 23; the 1993 Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur drama “Poetic Justice,” showing at 7 p.m. Feb. 23; and a free screening of the family-friendly short film “The Rainbow Prince” at 11 a.m. Feb. 25.
Tulsa in Harmony
h When: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays in February. h Where: ONEOK Boathouse at the Gathering Place, Tulsa. h Information: https://www.gatheringplace.org. The weekly Black History Month celebration of art and culture is highlighting a different local musician and artist from history each Saturday. Plus, an installation of art by Tulsa’s Black Moon Collective is on view throughout February inside the boathouse.
‘Good Hair’
h When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23. h Where: Almonte Library, 2914 SW 59. h Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/ blackhistorymonth.
Prompted by a question from his young daughter, comedian Chris Rock explores the importance of hair in Black culture in this 2009 documentary.
J.O.B. Black History Month Celebration
h When: 6 p.m. Feb. 24. h Where: Cole Community Center, 4400 Northwest
Expressway. h Information: Eventbrite.com.
The Jayden Oliver Basketball Foundation’s gala event will feature keynote speakers CeCe Jones-Davis,
Antionette Jones, Momma Jones and Jabee Williams.
‘Soul II Soul Tour’
h When: 8 p.m. Feb. 24. h Where: Paycom Center, 100 W Reno. h Information: https://www.paycomcenter.com. KEM and Ledisi perform at the OKC arena, along with special guest Musiq Soulchild.
‘You People’ free screening and discussion
h When: 7 p.m. Feb. 25. h Where: Rodeo Theatre at Stockyards. h Information: https://www.facebook.com/RodeoCinema.
Before Netflix released its 2023 comedy “You People” starring Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill and Lauren London, OKC filmmaker Laron Chapman won Best Oklahoma Film at the 2018 deadCenter Film Festival with his indie movie “You People,” a personal dramedy that delves into issues of identity, sexuality and race. Chapman will participate in a discussion after the screening.
Ardmore Black History Month Celebration
h When: 5 p.m. Feb. 26. h Where: HFV Wilson Center, Ardmore. h Information: https://hfvwilsoncenter.com/ event/black-history-month-celebration.
The program will include a guest speaker, songs, skits and poems.
The Urban Poets
h When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27. h Where: Ralph Ellison Library, 2000 NE 23. h Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/ event/urban-poets-8.
The Society of Urban Poets presents its annual Black History Month film screening and discussion. This year’s event is showcasing Margaret Brown’s new documentary “Descendant,” which follows the denizens of the small Alabama community of Africatown as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport human beings as cargo from Africa to America.
Step Afrika!
h When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28. h Where: Oklahoma City Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center, 7777 S May Ave.
h Information: https://www.occc.edu/visualand-performing-arts-center.
Incorporating storytelling, humor and audience participation, the first professional company dedicated to stepping puts on a show that fuses the percussive dance styles practiced by historically Black college fraternities and sororities with traditional African dances and contemporary dance art forms.