Southwest Style

Since it acquired the collection two years ago, the Philbrook Museum of Art has spent a good amount of time boasting about its Eugene B. Adkins collection.

If you've been wondering what all the fuss is about, now's your chance to find out.

Last Sunday, the museum, at 2727 S. Rockford Road, opened an exhibit of 70 paintings from the collection. On display until Jan. 31, the exhibit features work by some of the Southwest's most influential artists, including Maynard Dixon, Nicolai Fechin, Leon Gaspard and members of the Taos Society of Artists.

Christina Burke, Philbrook's curator of Native American and non-Western art, curated the exhibit.

Eugene Brady Adkins, grandson of historical Tulsa figure and oilman Tate Brady, developed a love for the Southwest at an early age. According to the museum, during the 1920s and '30s, Adkins spent much of his childhood on family trips from Oklahoma to New Mexico and deeper into the Southwest.

"During such trips, he acquired an appreciation for the natural and cultural landscape of the area, taking in the drama of the mesas at sunset and the beauty of Native American dances and ceremonies," a release from the museum stated. "These early experiences led to Adkins' lifelong passion for Southwestern art and spurred his collection."

Adkins spent 40 years amassing his collection of Southwestern artwork, a collection that includes more than 3,300 paintings, prints, drawings and photographs focused on images of the American West, as well as baskets, jewelry, pottery and weavings by Native American artists.

In addition to the art, Adkins' collection includes correspondence, brochures and related materials.

"Mr. Adkins kept letters on which he would write notes to himself, creating an ongoing conversation about individual pieces and the collection as a whole," museum officials said. "In all, the Adkins' material includes not only outstanding paintings and other artwork, but also invaluable records of a unique and important collection that was created by a Tulsa native."

Following Adkins' death in 2006, his collection was left in the hands of Philbrook and the University of Oklahoma's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman. The two museums jointly house and operate the collection, with half residing at each location.

Philbrook, with the assistance of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, is renovating the east half of the Mathews Warehouse, at 307 E. Brady St., which will house its collection and also serve as a center for study and research.

Until that center opens, at a date still to be announced, and before Jan. 31, curious viewers can see "Passion for the West: Paintings From the Eugene B. Adkins Collection" at Philbrook. The museum's hours are Tuesday through Sunday, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $7 for adults, with discounts for children and seniors. More information is available at www.philbrook.org.

Join the Circus

Christmas weekend is the perfect time to take in a film, so while you're at Circle Cinema this weekend, seeing Me and Orson Wells or A Serious Man, take a peek at the new exhibit hanging in Circle 2's gallery, 12 S. Lewis.

Award-winning photographer Scott Raffe recently opened "Circus iPhone," an exhibit of new work created with the artist's iPhone, in the gallery.

The exhibit features 24 photos, 12 each from the Circus Flora, a European-style, one-ring circus featuring The Flying Wallendas, and Zoppe, an Italian family circus that dates back to 1842.

Raffe said both circuses are non-commercial and based on art and performance.

"The circuses feel like going back in time 100 years ago," Raffe said.

Many of the photos look as though they were taken 100 years ago, and it's a wonder to know they were taken in the last few years and with an iPhone.

Raffe, a Tulsa resident, has been taking photos for 23 years. His awards include honors from the American Advertising Federation, Art Directors Club and the Dallas Society of Visual Communications. He's also one of the three-person team responsible for the gorgeous and moving coffee table book "Oklahoma: A Portrait of America," released last year by Raffe, Libby Bender and Carl Brune.

Raffe's exhibit at the Circle will be on display through Feb. 28. For more information, visit www.circlecinema.com.

More to See

M.A. Doran Gallery's celebrates Christmas with its annual small works show. The exhibit, which opened on Dec. 3, closes at the end of the month, so you've still got a few days to get a glimpse of it, perhaps while you're out exchanging unwanted Christmas gifts.

This year, the exhibit, which features small works by gallery artists, also doubles as a celebration of the gallery's 30th anniversary.

The exhibit features new paintings, sculptures, crafts and ornaments. The gallery, at 3509 S. Peoria Ave., is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30am to 6pm. More information is at www.madorangallery.com.

Another place to stop if you're out this weekend is Lovetts Gallery, in The Farm shopping center at 6528 E. 51st St. The gallery has on display 20 new three-dimensional works by internationally acclaimed artists.

The new acquisition includes four ceramic sculptures by Stephen Wood, five wood sculptures by Ken Hager, a stone sculpture by Justin Davenport and 10 works by bronze artist Kevin Box. Box is an Oklahoma native and contemporary sculptor whose work is featured at the gallery right now.

Also featured at the gallery is 'WORN," an exhibition of art jewelry.

"Following the overwhelming success of 'Jewelry: No Lines, No Production,' we realized that the collector appetite and desire for such specialized exhibitions and works far exceeded our expectation," gallery representatives stated on their Web site. "'WORN' is the next installment of our 'jewelry as art' exhibition series, this time even further expanding the origins and offerings."

For eight months, eleven participating jewelers representing five countries created more than 100 unique and wearable pieces--seen for the first time at Lovetts. The exhibit that resulted opened earlier this month and will be on display until Jan. 4. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Find more information at www.lovettsgallery.com.