Philbrook Downtown closing to make room for Bob Dylan Center

(TULSA, Okla) The Philbrook Downtown is closing at the end of the year, CEO and President Scott Stulen told members Tuesday: “Philbrook’s Board and leadership, after thoughtful consideration, has elected to accept an offer from George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) to exit the lease agreement for Philbrook Downtown ‪on June 30, 2020‬ so the space may become the future home of The ‪Bob Dylan‬ Center. Philbrook Downtown will close to the public ‪on December 29, 2019‬, after which the Museum will undertake the careful process of relocating the artwork, library, and archives to the main campus in midtown. This decision did not come easily, but is in the best interest of Philbrook financially and programmatically, both in the short and long term. We are thrilled to welcome The ‪Bob Dylan‬ Center to downtown Tulsa, a growing hub for American music and culture. We anticipate this addition will draw even more visitors to our friends and partner organizations in the Tulsa Arts District. Philbrook’s commitment to downtown will continue going forward, through pop-up programs and various partnerships in the District. By focusing on one location, Philbrook will greatly increase our capacity to fulfill our mission to make a creative and connected community through art and gardens. In addition, we will increase our commitment to Contemporary and Native art at the main campus, bringing bold new exhibitions, like Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists, opening ‪June 28, 2020‬. This traveling exhibition has already received rave reviews in Forbes, The New York Times, and Vogue. Save the date. Make plans to join us for opening weekend! It has been a privilege to be part of the Tulsa Arts District for the last six years. Thank you for helping us seize that opportunity, and for coming along with us as we build an exciting and dynamic future for Philbrook. Finally, I invite you to visit Philbrook Downtown ‪before 12/29‬ to view two very different visions of Oklahoma through the photographs of Jason Lee and Larry Clark.”