The Oklahomans Vol 2:
Greatest Gallery
Oklahomans 2 continues the work of Oklahomans 1 in presenting the finest gallery of Oklahoma historical art ever delivered on the printed page. It features the greatest scenes of 20th and 21st-century Oklahoma, from the brushes of the state’s most revered artists. John discovered this priceless collection during his 15 years of guiding his Southern Nazarene University Oklahoma History classes on tours of the State Capitol the final night of the course.
Through the years, he noticed the incomparable gallery of Oklahoma historical art adorning the grand old building’s walls, most of which had rarely graced the pages of Oklahoma History books. He spent more than a year identifying, selecting, and securing publication rights to dozens of these magnificent works, as well as others, plus a remarkable treasury of hundreds of photographs, maps, cartoons, and other images from the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma Publishing Company (Oklahoman, Daily Oklahoman, and Oklahoma City Times newspapers), Tulsa Historical Society, Tulsa World newspaper, and other sources.
Oklahomans 2 also delivers several new and exciting visual bonuses. One is the illustrative genius of Oklahoma City artist and USAO artist in residence Jerry Bennett. His graphic novel-style imagery lands you in the middle of some of Oklahoma’s most dramatic scenes, from machine guns mounted on the steps of the State Capitol and aimed at the County Courthouse, to an up close-and-personal look at the classic cotton ginning process, to Oklahoma Law’s duel to the death with the Dixie Mafia.
Oklahomans 2 also brings you unforgettable scenes from the lens of the state’s greatest photographer, Mike Klemme of Enid, who was commissioned Oklahoma’s official Centennial celebration photographer. Mike’s eye of genius brings you the best shots ever done from the mountains and lakes of eastern Oklahoma, to the dunes, mesas, and prairie of the west.
All these images, beautiful as they are, serve not only for aesthetic purposes, however. They reflect, illustrate, integrate with, and help drive the narrative around them, as seen in the page excerpted above.