by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator Portrait of a Lady Did you know that one way to date a portrait is to look at the fashions worn by the sitter? In “Portrait of a Lady” we don’t know who the person is, nor do we know the date. The area where the date is written has been altered in later years, so it could be incorrect. So, the best clue we have is to look at the clothing. A good place to start is the ruff collar. Ruffs were popular all-around Europe in the

by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator Recently, I was researching a Chinese jade bowl. The bowl features two carved dragons. Chinese Jade Bowl with Dragons Dragons can represent power, prosperity, and good luck. There are many different kinds of dragons with different powers and attributes. Legends about Chinese dragons date back to 3000BC. In mythology, dragons can live in the sky, land, or sea. Dragons can even control the weather! Even the color of the drag

by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator Since March 8 is International Women’s Day, I have been thinking about the works of art created by women in the MGMoA collection. Many years ago, it was decided that the MGMoA would focus on collecting Oklahoma artists since Fr. Gerrer was such a big supporter of Oklahoma arts. Many of our contemporary art pieces were created by women. Poem, Michi Susan A prolific artist and donor of art was Michi Susan. She was born in To

by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator Scarlet Flower Since it is cold and love is in the air with Valentine’s Day, it got me thinking about Russian folk tales like The Snowmaiden or Father Frost and the Maiden, otherwise known as Morozko . Many Russian folk tales are the basis for our classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and many more. Just like Grimm’s fairy tales, the Russian folk tales tend to be grimmer than we are

by Delaynna Trim, Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art Curator Have you seen a painting showing the vastness of nature, that the landscape just keeps on going into the background? There is a good chance that it was part of the Hudson River School movement. John Bunyan Bristol was part of the Hudson River School movement. He was born in Hillsdale, New York in 1826 – 200 years ago! His father was a shoemaker. He was a self-taught artist who began painting portraits but quickly switched t