Arts and Humanities

Dr. Kaladi Babu, a Regents Professor in the Department of Physics, received the Eminent Faculty Award during the University Awards Convocation on Dec. 11 in the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center.

More than music filled the air at the Opening Gala at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. The sold-out black-tie concert drew 1,000- plus people who were entranced by the New York Philharmonic, one of the world’s most iconic ensembles, and Oklahoma-born Broadway star Kelli O’Hara. But before a single note could carry the audience away, guests arrived to the pageantry of walking the orange carpet on their way into the Marilynn and Carl Thoma Grand Atrium. The welcome reception was broadcast live, sharing the spotlight shining so brightly on Stillwater with the world.

The names of 22 families and organizations glow subtly from wooden tiles inlaid in the wall of the Patron Lounge on the second floor of The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts.

With the opening of The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, and a new home for the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music, music performance and education at Oklahoma State University will reach a level few universities can match.

Mark Blakeman, Marilynn and Carl Thoma Executive Director of The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts at Oklahoma State University, spent more than two years preparing to open the state-of-the-art concert hall, working to ensure that every detail was in order and the product on stage matches the magnificence of the space, not just this season but for countless seasons to come.

A 12-foot twisted ribbon-like bronze sculpture anchors the outdoor plaza at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, where surround sound and a giant screen offer new ways for the community to interact with art at Oklahoma State University.