Helen Opper-Curator At The Art Hall-Segment 2

In this segment, we continue the conversation with Helen Opper, Curator at The Art Hall as she talks about how she always knew that she wanted to work in the arts since she was a child. She reflects about her life journey and how she transitioned towards studying Art History and receiving her Bachelor’s degree in that field of study and then earned her Master’s degree in Museum Studies from New York University. We then hear about how her career progressed in the early years as she had opportunities to work in different areas of the art world and about her experiences in returning to Oklahoma City, where she grew up and graduated from Casady School. After that, Helen shares the story of how she became affiliated with The Art Hall and about how she works very well with the owner of The Art Hall, Anna Russell. The interview progresses with Helen speaking about her unique perspective regarding the art community here in Oklahoma City and how she is very motivated to give opportunities to artists who are at different levels of experience and who may have never had a chance to exhibit their works publicly before. Helen then talks about the diversity of genres of art here in Oklahoma and why she feels that it is so important to provide opportunities to artists who produce all types of art. We wrap up the interview as Helen talks about how she hopes to see a greater diversity of art being shown here in Oklahoma City, and that in her mind, the solution isn't just simply offering more exhibitions as she sees a lot of value in the art community making efforts to bring in art from different perspectives and "to broaden the horizons on what people can see here." For more information about rental rates for utilizing The Art Hall as an event center and about purchasing any of the artwork on display there, please visit their website at www.arthallokc.com