Majestic Murals of OKC

Oklahoma City…the county seat of Oklahoma City; known for Great Plains, a large livestock market, oil and gas industries, the OKC Thunder…and some pretty incredible public art.

Am I right?

While we couldn’t capture every Majestic Mural that adorns an avenue in our area, here’s a few of our favorites (and where to find them). 

Western Avenue

Western Avenue is a great place to start. Pictured here are two of our favorites, “Red Tail Hawk” by Jason Pawley and “Fortune Favors the Brave” by Julie Robertson. Look to the left and the right as you travel down Western, especially between NW 36th and NW 63rd, as murals galore grace this place.

Bricktown

This ginormous octopus by Jack Fowler is entitled “Bricktown OKCtopus” and sprawls across the back side of the Bricktown Events Center at 429 East California Avenue. The two hundred foot long creature provides a fun place to stop with the family. Besides taking fun photos, you might notice how an exterior light is actually incorporated into the piece as an eye…or use your own eyes to look for the eighty-eight hidden images within the octopus freckles!  

“This Land” is the title of the massive mural in Lower Bricktown that graces the side of Climb Up’s facility, a former grain elevator. Rick Sinnett’s larger than life artwork pays homage to Oklahoma’s culture and has become a brilliant addition to our I-40 Oklahoma City skyline. Climb Up offers both indoor and outdoor climbing, so try to spy an outdoor climber on the mural next time you drive by. The climber will likely look like an ant!

“Cultivation” by OKC artist Jason Pawley provides a breathtaking backdrop at the Bricktown underpass at Reno & Gaylord, just SE of the Cox Convention Center. Pawley has said that he designed the flowing mural so the paint colors fade gradually to mimic the change from sunrise to sunset. No matter what time of day you’re at this part of OKC, it’s going to be beautiful because of the artful addition to this underpass.

The Bricktown underpass at Sheridan & Gaylord is home to a mural series paying tribute to Oklahoma’s Native American roots. One side is entitled “Strength of the Woman” and was a joint project between artists J. NiCole Hatfield and Steven Grounds. Centered around the poem “See the Woman”, this mural depicts several large portraits and represents the idea that the foundation and survival of every tribe is the women. “Earth to Sky” adorns the opposite wall and was created by artists Nish Earles and Rhiana Deck. Their work bestows a backdrop of red-clay colored coils and figures depicted out of sky blue feathers in the foreground.  

Film Row

And who doesn’t love a giant (yet somewhat intimidating) mural of OKC’s favorite Kiwi, Steven Adams? This face graces the side of the Paramount Building at 701 W Sheridan and literally looks over the Plant Shoppe OKC. The story goes that a famous New Zealand spray paint artist, “Mr. G”, came to the United States to paint a mural of Prince in Minneapolis, but stopped in OKC to pay tribute to his fellow New Zealander, Steven Adams. And what better way than putting his (GIANT) face on a (GIANT) wall? We do love you, Kiwi. Big Time.

Automobile Alley

I mean, do you REALLY live in OKC if you don’t have a photo taken at The Womb, the psychedelic building located at 25 NW 9th Street?  The Womb Gallery is the brainchild of The Flaming Lips front man, Wayne Coyne. Rumor has it that the parties, events, galleries and shows inside the Womb are interactive and unlike anything you’ve ever encountered. The gallery itself doesn’t seem to have normal operating hours, so I wouldn’t expect to get inside unless you are attending an event there. But AT LEAST take a photo (like the rest of us) somewhere along the outside of the building while you’re there!

Back to Bricktown

Finishing out our majestic mural journey is the set of “Oklahoma!” murals painted by Dr. Bob Palmer in celebration of our state’s centennial celebration in 2007. This picturesque painting runs along the entrance to Bricktown, on the east side of Gaylord Avenue, and depicts numerous aspects of our Oklahoma state history. Part of the mural is also said to be inspired by “Oklahoma!”, our state song. (Another thing we are absolutely known for!)

What murals do YOU fancy? Drop a picture of them on Instagram or Facebook, use the hashtag #majesticmuralsokc and tag us in them! We’d love to see your pics at OKC murals (with or without your people in them) … AND share about other murals (that we didn’t mention here) with our community. 

Come on, let us see those pics! Tag us with the hashtag #majesticmuralsokc!

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Melissa Brown
I have been a proud Okie for over 35 years and love being the wife of my hunky husband, David, and a mom to our three daughters, two in their 20’s and one in elementary school! I spend my weekdays in the Greater Oklahoma community as a non-profit executive and my evenings as a soccer mom, grocery shopper, overall family supporter/organizer, adventurer, book enthusiast, friend, and occasional Netflix binger. My first two loves are Jesus and family, with coffee and caramel also making the list, right after friends and travel, and being a part of OKCMB.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Where is the most beautiful painted Underpass near Abuelo’s & the Banjo Museum? They need to do away with the Ugly Octopus-AWFUL Orange all over the Wall!! I Love ? OK City!!

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