OMA members are invited to a M!X event on September 10 from 5:00pm-7:00pm at the exhibit, Back to Normal, by artist Sarah Atlee at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Drive, Oklahoma City. Refreshments will be served. M!X is a networking event and benefit of OMA membership.

Named the 2008 Best New Attraction in Oklahoma by the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association and a 2008 Nickelodeon Parents' Pick for Teens, the Gaylord-Pickens Museum opened in May 2007 in Oklahoma City.   The Museum commissioned Elliott + Associates Architects to refurbish the historic facility and Northern Light Production out of Boston, Mass., to develop its custom exhibitory.  The preservation the building’s historic character coupled with the addition of modern touches earned Elliott & Associations the prestigious 2007 Interior Design Best of Year winner in the education category.

The special exhibit, Back to Normal, will be on view from July 7 – September 21, 2009.  Sarah Atlee’s portrait paintings depict fictional characters named after Oklahoma towns.  Back to Normal is an extension of Atlee’s series Normal, Oklahoma, a fictional community populated by characters whose names are all places in or around Oklahoma.  When the artist sees a highway sign with two Oklahoma town names on it, she pretends it is someone's first and last name and creates a character with a personality after the names. These characters comprise the entertaining and fun exhibit.

The Museum's high-tech, interactive exhibitory provides visitors the opportunity to experience Oklahoma’s history through its people. Visitors meet both famous and everyday Oklahomans whose lives have impacted our state, country and world.  The candid nature of the exhibitory allows visitors a unique look into the lives of Oklahomans like Reba McEntire, Wiley Post and Mat Hoffman. The faces, voices and spirit of Oklahomans from every walk of life that inhabit the Museum create an experience unlike any other in the nation.  For more information about the museum, visit www.oklahomaheritage.com. 

A special thank you to the Gaylord-Pickens Museum for hosting the OMA M!X event in conjunction with their exhibit reception!  M!X invitations will be mailed to all OMA members later in the summer. Please RSVP to sodaniel@okmuseums.org or 405.424.7757 by September 1.