The Crossroads
of Creativity.
The Crossroads
of Creativity.
The Future of Our Past
The OKPOP Foundation has officially completed the $18 million Heart & Soul Campaign, and the State Treasurer has now approved and certified the pledges, releasing the state’s matching funds. This milestone marks the beginning of OKPOP’s next chapter: exhibit design, fabrication, and the build-out of Oklahoma’s first museum dedicated to the global creative impact of its people.
Hello Friends and Potential Donors,
“You know, this whole campaign wasn’t just about raising $18 million – it was about backing a mission that means something. OKPOP is here to celebrate the crazy amount of creativity that comes out of Oklahoma, to tell the stories of the folks who shaped music, film, and art, and to fire up the next generation to chase their own big dreams. The way people showed up to support this blows me away. Oklahoma should be proud of what’s coming.”
Honorary Campaign Chair
📚✨ The power of stories, imagination, and believing in yourself!
We had a wonderful time connecting with Oklahoma author and educator Brenda Maier for an OKPOP interview about her creative journey, the magic of children’s literature, and the people who inspire us along the way.
From growing up with few books to becoming the author of The Little Red Fort, The Little Blue Bridge, The Little Green Swing, and The Adventures of Penguin and Panda, Brenda’s story is a testament to curiosity, perseverance, and the power of encouragement.
We explored how a teacher’s belief in her changed the course of her life, the importance of collaboration between writers and illustrators, finding inspiration in everyday experiences, and why children need the freedom to play, imagine, and create.
As Brenda beautifully reminded us:
“The ideas are all around us all the time, everywhere. And if you’re paying attention and tuned in to that station, you will catch them.”
Her advice to aspiring creators? Start now. Stay curious. Try new things. And don’t let rejection stop you from pursuing what you love.
Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your story and reminding us that sometimes all it takes is someone believing in us to discover what we’re capable of!
#OKPOP #OklahomaCreatives #BrendaMaier #OklahomaAuthors #ChildrensLiterature @brendadmaier
🎃🔪 HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM OKPOP! 👻
Meet THE SOONER SLASHER! Our resident horror fanatic and cinematographer, Tyler Mann, has created a frightfully fun mashup celebrating Oklahoma’s connections to horror movie history!
There’s more Oklahoma hiding in this costume than you might think! 🩸
🔪 Jason Voorhees: Oklahoma-born actor and stuntman Ted White portrayed the legendary masked killer in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984). Tyler even handcrafted his own Jason-inspired hockey mask!
🧤 Freddy Krueger: That infamous razor-fingered glove pays tribute to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), starring Tulsa-born Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson. Tyler is also holding I Am Nancy, a documentary exploring the character’s enduring legacy in horror cinema.
💀 World of Death: Tyler isn’t just a horror fan—he’s a horror filmmaker himself! He wrote and directed the short film The Seamstress, featured in the World of Death horror anthology DVD he’s holding. The film can also be found on Bloody Bites!
From iconic Hollywood slashers to independent horror filmmaking, Oklahoma has left its fingerprints all over the genre. And we’re proud to have a filmmaker helping carry that creative legacy forward right here at OKPOP!
Have a frightfully fun Halloween! 🎃👻
#OKPOP #HappyHalloween #OklahomaHorror #HorrorMovies #OklahomaPopCulture @ishootokpoptulsa
🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN WEEKEND! 👻
From the OKPOP collections vault, we’re digging up a little Halloween history! This early, hand-painted “Big Halloween Dance” poster from Tulsa’s legendary Cain’s Ballroom reminds us that the spirit of Halloween has been bringing people together for generations.
From costumes and spooky stories to monster movies, music, art, and elaborate performances, Halloween has become one of pop culture’s most creative celebrations. It’s a holiday built on imagination, transformation, and the joy of becoming someone—or something—else for a night!
And long before digital graphics and social media, artists were bringing that same spirit to life with a little paint, a lot of imagination, and a dance floor waiting to be filled.
Here’s to the artists, musicians, storytellers, and wonderfully weird creative minds who keep Halloween alive!
Stay spooky, Oklahoma! 🦇
#OKPOP #Halloweен #CainsBallroom #OklahomaHistory #PopCulture
We had so much fun connecting with Oklahoma artist, filmmaker, writer, and creative force Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa and Choctaw)!
From his early days in independent filmmaking and collaborations with fellow Oklahoma storytellers like Wes Studi and Sterlin Harjo, to writing for Marvel Studios’ Echo, featuring the first Choctaw superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and writing and directing episodes of AMC’s Dark Winds, based on the literary world created by Tony Hillerman and continued by Anne Hillerman, Steven’s creative journey is a remarkable example of imagination, perseverance, and the power of telling your own stories.
Our conversation explored his passion for DIY art, Indigenous futurism, the importance of humor and representation, a documentary project celebrating legendary Oklahoma guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, and his latest collaboration with Nike on the new N7 collection, bringing Indigenous art and storytelling into contemporary footwear and fashion.
But beyond the impressive credits and collaborations, what resonated most was Steven’s creative philosophy: the courage to make things, embrace your own perspective, keep going when doors close, and find humor and humanity along the way.
His work challenges stereotypes, celebrates Indigenous identity, and reminds us that popular culture is a powerful place to reclaim narratives, inspire imagination, and create something entirely new.
Thank you, Steven, for sharing your stories, your humor, and your creative journey with OKPOP! We’re honored to help preserve and share your story with future generations of Oklahoma creators.
#OKPOP #StevenPaulJudd #IndigenousArt #OklahomaCreatives #IndigenousFuturism @stevenpauljudd
Greetings from the Mother Road! 🛣️
The Oklahoma Historical Society Board gathered at our sister site, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, as we celebrate 100 years of Route 66!
This iconic highway has shaped Oklahoma’s history, culture, and creativity for a century, and its stories continue to inspire new generations.
Next time you’re traveling Route 66, be sure to stop by the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton and experience the history of the Mother Road firsthand!
Here’s to the next 100 years! 🚗
#OKPOP #Route66Centennial #OklahomaRoute66Museum #OklahomaHistory #MotherRoad @route66museum
The road to Oz has an Oklahoma connection. 🌈🎬
Born on this day in 1898 in Oklahoma Territory, pioneering film editor Blanche Sewell helped bring one of cinema’s most beloved worlds to life through her work on The Wizard of Oz (1939).
You know Dorothy, the ruby slippers, and the Yellow Brick Road. But you might not know the Oklahoma-born woman who helped weave those performances and images into the adventure we still love today. As the film’s editor, Sewell helped shape its pacing, emotion, and storytelling—the often-invisible artistry that makes movie magic feel effortless.
Her career at MGM also included Grand Hotel (1932), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), and The Pirate (1948). Across dramas, comedies, and musicals, she left a lasting creative imprint on Hollywood’s golden age.
Today, we celebrate Sewell’s birthday and the storytellers whose work lives beyond the spotlight. Her legacy reminds us that there are many ways to create an unforgettable world—and Oklahoma talent has helped take audiences somewhere over the rainbow. 💛
#OKPOP #BlancheSewell #TheWizardOfOz #WomenInFilm #OklahomaCreativity
From an Oklahoma kid fascinated by movie monsters to an Oscar-winning master of makeup! 🎬🧛
Happy birthday to Matthew Mungle, born in Durant and raised in Atoka, whose imagination has helped bring unforgettable characters to life.
Growing up watching Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy, Mungle experimented with his mother’s cosmetics before trying theatrical makeup and prosthetics on family and friends. That childhood curiosity became a career in the art of transformation, earning him an Academy Award alongside Greg Cannom and Michèle Burke for Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
His work spans far beyond monsters, with credits including Edward Scissorhands, Schindler’s List, Ghosts of Mississippi, and Albert Nobbs. Through makeup and prosthetics, Mungle helps actors inhabit their characters and audiences believe in the worlds unfolding onscreen.
Just days before Halloween, we’re celebrating an Oklahoma creative who turned a love of movie magic into a life spent making it. Happy birthday, Matthew! 🎂
#OKPOP #MatthewMungle #OklahomaCreativity #MovieMagic #SpecialEffectsMakeup @matthew.mungle
We recently connected with children’s author and Cherokee Nation citizen Ginger Reno for a Video Interview at OKPOP!
Ginger’s creative journey began with a simple moment of inspiration: watching a young boy become so absorbed in a book that he walked straight into a clothing rack. That moment sparked a dream of writing stories that could capture a reader’s imagination in the same way.
Today, Ginger is the author of Spirit Shadow, Find Her, and The Longest Walk, works that explore identity, cultural heritage, belonging, and the power of storytelling. Her acclaimed middle-grade novel Finder, which addresses the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, earned an Edgar Award nomination and won an Oklahoma Book Award.
During our conversation, Ginger reflected on discovering her creative voice, reconnecting with her Cherokee heritage, the mentors who helped shape her journey, and the importance of treating young readers with empathy, honesty, and respect.
Her advice to aspiring storytellers is a reminder of something we believe deeply at OKPOP:
“There are stories that only you can tell.”
Thank you, Ginger, for sharing your journey with us and helping inspire the next generation of Oklahoma storytellers!
#OKPOP #OklahomaCreativity #GingerReno #OklahomaAuthors @gingerreno_author
Donate
Your charitable donation directly contributes to OKPOP’s future, we are grateful for your support! Donations to support the OKPOP Museum may be made to the OKPOP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Donations may be made through the secure online donation form or mailed to:
OKPOP Foundation
422 North Main Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103
If you have questions about additional gifting options, please contact Abby Kurin at akurin@okpopfoundation.org
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