Weekly Arts and Entertainment Highlights (Jun 14, 2012)

Two art exhibits showcase unique mediums, a summer tradition reclaims the stage, and the legacy of the biggest name in big band comes to town in this weekend’s calendar.

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art continues its celebration of a decade at its downtown location with the opening of its newest exhibit “FUSION [A New Century of Glass]” on June 14th. Featuring almost 50 sculptures and instillations by contemporary artists, Fusion showcases unique uses of glass as an artistic medium to evoke a variety of emotions and explore the human condition. Social isolationism, the passage of time, and paranoia are just a few of the themes explored in this 21st century work. The museum hosts a talk with stained glass artist Judith Schaechter at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 14th as part of opening activities.

It’s officially summer in Oklahoma when the works of England’s most famous playwright come to the city’s outdoor stages. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park begins its 2012 season with a production of “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” The story of friendship, fidelity, and love triangles is considered to be among Shakespeare’s earliest works and uses themes he continued to explore in later plays. The first performance begins at 8:00 p.m. on June 14th at the Myriad Botanical Gardens Water Stage in Oklahoma City. The show continues every weekend through the end of the month.

The Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery opens its unique annual juried fiber art exhibition on June 15th. “Fiberworks 2012” features an assortment of art quilts, weaving, needlework, basketry, soft sculpture, paper, felting, knitting, crochet, and more all made by Oklahoman artists. The gallery reception begins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday with music by Clinton Avery Tharp. In its 34th year, the juror for this year’s exhibit is Jeanne Raffer Beck, an artist and teacher from New York. She gives a lecture on “Ikigai and Art Practice” before the reception and a walk-through critique beginning at 10:00 p.m.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra preserves the sound and style of its namesake nearly 70 years after his death in Oklahoma this Saturday. The ensemble performs at the Rose State Performing Arts Center in Midwest City at 7:00 p.m. The set list contains classics such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and "Pennsylvania 6-5000" as well as an Oklahoma medley composed specifically for the band’s 5-stop tour through the state. The Glenn Miller Orchestra has been performing and recording under that name since 1956 and continues to be one of the most sought out acts of its kind.

There are other activities of interest in the next week.

Artists of all calibers gather to “Chalk to Walk” in the parking lot of Bass Pro Shops in Oklahoma City June 16th at 10:00 a.m. This event raises funds for the Parents Assistance Center.

Science Museum Oklahoma holds their all night event “A Bright Night of Grossology” on June 15th and 16th. Participants learn about the science of the human body through interactive exhibits and more.

Photographs indicative of the season are on display at [Artspace] at Untitled during the opening reception of “Cell Phones in Summer” on June 15th beginning at 5:00 p.m. Every picture in the exhibit was taken with a cell phone camera.

For more events, log on to our calendar page.