A news conference on Tuesday revealed all of the details about a proposed Oklahoma Pop museum in Tulsa, devoted to the history of the state’s music and its popular culture. You can read more about it here.
It was mentioned a few days ago that Route 66 would be part of the museum. Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, made it clear that the Mother Road wouldn’t be a huge focal point, but that the highway will be prominently mentioned as playing a role in Oklahoma’s culture — from Tulsan Cyrus Avery making sure the fledgling road passed through the Sooner State, to songs about Route 66, to Michael Wallis‘ best-selling book “Route 66: The Mother Road” to the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars.”
A few more notes from the news conference:
— The Oklahoma Pop museum will be in the Brady District, which is north of downtown Tulsa. Blackburn said three sites are being considered.
— Organizers envision a building containing 45,000 square feet, including 16,000 for exhibit space. The rest will be devoted to a cafe, gift shop, special events and programming, offices and the like. Blackburn said the museum’s design would change if needed.
— Included in the initial design is a 50-by-80-foot facade that’s can show LED video presentations.
— Placing the museum in Tulsa makes sense, as the city has long been considered as the cultural center of Oklahoma. Local musicians such as Leon Russell, Bob Wills, J.J. Cale, Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, the GAP Band, and Hanson make that apparent.
— The museum will not only be devoted to music, but other popular culture such as film, literature, theater, radio and television.
— The museum is estimated to cost $33 million. Blackburn is seeing $25 million via a state bond issue and $8 million in private money. The George Kaiser Family Foundation already pledged $1 million on Tuesday.
— Blackburn acknowledges that getting $25 million from the state during a recession will be a challenge. However, the Historical Society raised $50 million from the state in the late 1990s to establish the Oklahoma Historical Museum in Oklahoma City. He said “we need to get momentum” when the economy recovers and that supporters need to prepare to lobby for the project in the next legislative session.
— The Oklahoma Pop museum projects an opening date of summer 2013.
(Artists’ renderings courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society)