Editor's note: This story is featured in OU Daily's Best of Norman Guide, which will be available in print beginning Sept. 10. Racks can be found around Norman and campus. Check out the other featured stories at the bottom of this article.
After 125 years, the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History continues to educate the Norman community and preserve Oklahoma’s rich history and culture.
Located on OU’s campus, the 198,000-square-foot facility is home to over 10 million objects in 12 collections sourced in and around Oklahoma. Visitors can explore the 50,000 square feet of space that features public galleries and exhibits.
Sam Noble was founded in 1899, eight years prior to Oklahoma achieving statehood. The museum was created by the Territorial Legislature to be a department of natural history and geology for the University of Oklahoma, then called Norman Territorial University.
The museum began as a series of display cases across OU’s academic buildings and was housed in various spaces over the years before the current facility opened in May 2000.
The museum features six permanent exhibits: the Orientation Gallery, Hall of World Cultures, Hall of Ancient Life, Hall of Natural Wonders, Hall of People of Oklahoma and the Conoco Oil Pioneers of Oklahoma Plaza.
Just beyond the museum’s front desk, visitors can marvel at the bronze statue of a wooly mammoth as it is illuminated by sunlight through two stories of windows, or they can explore the interactive exhibits that serve as educational displays for younger visitors.
Sam Noble also periodically features temporary exhibits, which currently include “Prehistoric Visions,” which opened June 29 and surveys the relationship between art and vertebrate paleontology, and “Speak While You Can,” which opened on Aug. 24 and aims to display the creativity and resilience of Indigenous people.
“Speak While You Can” was curated by OU alum and artist Tony Tiger and features over 30 artists representing over 20 of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. The exhibition includes 38 pieces, ranging from traditional art forms such as weaving to more contemporary forms like installations that feature audio elements.
Tiger, who is part of the Sac and Fox, Seminole and Muscogee Creek nations, told OU Daily the exhibition has a strong emphasis on language, which plays a crucial part in the preservation of Indigenous culture and identity.
“Our languages are important to us as Indigenous people,” Tiger said. “If you lose your language, you lose so much of who you are, (who) your people were.”
Tiger said due to the young audience that Sam Noble draws, he hopes that younger generations will be encouraged to consider the importance of language upon viewing “Speak While You Can.”
He said the exhibition stands apart from Sam Noble’s permanent exhibits that focus on Indigenous life due to its focus on contemporary styles, which serve as a reminder that Indigenous life remains strong in the state.
“They're going to see some things (that will) make them smile and be encouraged that the Indigenous population is still here, it still has a voice,” Tiger said.
Both “Speak While You Can” and “Prehistoric Visions” will be open until Dec. 1.
The Places of Power: Painted Photographs of Sacred Landscapes by Corson Hirschfeld exhibit inside of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Oklahoma Museum of Natural History on Feb. 26.
Alexander Mann, Sam Noble marketing and public relations officer, said it is important to have a museum that is representative of the state’s natural and cultural history.
“Our natural history does impact how civilizations develop and societies develop,” Mann said. “Having that here as a resource for the people of Oklahoma makes me feel like what I'm doing is worthwhile.”
Admission to the museum is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for visitors ages 4-17. OU students and children under 3 get free admission. Tickets can be purchased on the museum’s website or at the front desk upon arrival.
The Sam Noble Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday at 2401 Chautauqua Ave. The museum is closed on Monday.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd. Gretchen Schultz, Avery Avery, Grace Rhodes and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
