Oklahoma City Museum of Art opens Roof Terrace for summer and fall nights

This summer and fall, late-evening Oklahoma City Museum of Art guests can take the term “high art” literally.

The museum, 415 Couch Drive, has opened its Roof Terrace on seasonal Thursday nights for more than 10 years as part of its Art After 5 event, where guests can enjoy the relaxing high-rise setting once a week through late October.

Rooftop access is included with $5 museum admission and features full access to museum galleries, which are open until 9 p.m. Thursday nights. The Roof Terrace remains open until 10 p.m. with a full cash bar, live music and a scenic view of downtown.

“Art After 5 is designed to bring our community together in the heart of the Arts District for a fun, art-focused night,” said Becky Weintz, Oklahoma City Museum of Art director of marketing and communications. “Thursday is the only night that the museum is open late, and we love that there has been such a great response to this event.”

Tickets are available at the door. Art After 5 admission is free for museum members.

Part of Art After 5’s appeal is its wide selection of local live music.

“We’re excited about the variety this year,” she said. “We have jazz, blues, rock, pop, reggae, country. You name it, we probably have it in the next few months.”

Garrett “Big G” Jacobson brings his electric, bluesy funk to the event May 26 and June 23. Jacobson has entertained crowds since 1998 and has performed with greats like Jimmy Johnson, Carl Weathersby and Smokey Wilson.

June 2 features Dirty Red & The Soulshakers, a blues act with a rock edge and an energetic, from-the-gut live show.

On June 9, however, the week of deadCENTER Film Festival (which runs June 8-12), the terrace will only be open to holders of an all-access festival pass. After the one-week hiatus, music once again claims the museum roof June 16 with easy-listening soul duo Born in November.

Art After 5 also is good opportunity for visual art fans to take in some of the venue’s touring exhibitions after standard work hours.

Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris opens to Art After 5 guests beginning June 23. The exhibit includes 100 works of art — paintings, sculptures and sketches — by early 20th-century French artist Henri Matisse and contemporaries like Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Georges Braque, André Derain, Fernand Léger and Amedeo Modigliani.

Those who have lived in Oklahoma long enough understand that any outdoor event is subject to the whims of the weather. Weintz said terrace events could be delayed or canceled due to unreasonable summer heat, high winds or imminent storms. Guests can sign up for email alerts at okcmoa.com for delay or closing updates.

For a full calendar of Art After 5 events, visit okcmoa.com.

Print headline: Rooftop toast, Art After 5 extends the museum experience into the late evening.

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