Arts and Humanities

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.

Focused. Persistent. Grateful. Those describe Oklahoma State University junior music education major Abraham Nuñez.

At The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts, Marilynn and Carl Thoma Executive Director Mark Blakeman is passionate about providing a rich experience for all visitors — an experience that resonates deeply in the unspoken, shared parts of humanity.