If you value art, Oklahoma City may be the place you want to call your forever home

For the arts lover, it’s unique to find a city with both an existing and growing appreciation for the arts. With exceptional public art dotted throughout the streets, Oklahoma City breaks the barriers of art norms. Art is intentionally included in the development of our community. Our city values art so deeply that leaders in 1980 initiated the “1980 Resolution,” which facilitated the start of the Oklahoma City Arts Commission. The Arts Commission, along with the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, serves our community through expert decision-making and thoughtful promotion when it comes to arts and culture. The plan for art has continuously been revisited, enhanced, and revised to make our community increasingly attractive from a variety of perspectives, ensuring art is a priority, rather than an afterthought.

Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts claims, “Understanding and acknowledging the incredible economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture, we must always remember their fundamental value. They foster beauty, creativity, originality, and vitality. The arts inspire us, sooth us, provoke us, involve us, and connect us. But they also create jobs and contribute to the economy.”

You may not think of that large red space-like sculpture in Oklahoma City’s Leadership Square (Galaxy) as a major contributing element of our economy, but studies show the significant impact of art within our communities. One of the most notable outcomes of our city’s arts-focused initiatives is “The One Percent for the Arts Ordinance,” set in place in 2009.

What is “The One Percent for the Arts Ordinance”?

This initiative ensures that all proposed public construction projects coincide with new public art. When projects are proposed, a minimum of 1% of the overall budget must be allocated for public art.

Some of the art you can find around OKC funded by this ordinance include:

• Klint Schor’s Glacial Erratics - large steel structures located on the West River Trail
• Gabriel Friedman’s Booya Car – partially buried blue car located on Stanley Draper Trail
• Susan Narduli’s Virtual Sky – light installation located in the new OKC Convention Center
• Joel Breaux’s Justice Within – silver and gold panels symbolizing conflict and resolution located outside the municipal court building
• Clif Garten’s Virga – dramatic cloud-like sculpture located in the lobby of the Bennett Events Center

Over the years, the City’s public art collection has grown to over 200 works of art valued at more than $15 Million. 

According to Oklahoma City’s Arts Liaison and Program Planner, Robbie Kienzle, “It can take anywhere from six months to three years to see a project come to fruition.” Strategic planning and multiple projects continuously in the works make it possible for new art to regularly be released in Oklahoma City.

This article originally appeared on The Better Life blog.