OKLAHOMA CITY — Time is running out to see the “Collect. Preserve. Share. 20 Years at the Oklahoma History Center” exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center Museum in Oklahoma City. It will close to the public on Saturday, August 15.
“Collect. Preserve. Share” opened in November 2025 to mark the History Center’s 20th anniversary and traces how the building’s 2005 opening changed the Oklahoma Historical Society’s ability to collect, preserve and share the state’s history. On display are artifacts from Civil Rights leader Clara Luper and former Governor Dewey Bartlett alongside family heirlooms, including a wedding gown handmade by a bride’s grandmother during World War II and collections from Oklahoma businesses such as Sonic and Kerr-McGee, all reflecting the range of stories the History Center’s opening helped bring into public view.
“Twenty years ago, this building gave us a home to collect, preserve, and share Oklahoma’s story at a scale we never could before. This exhibit was an opportunity to show visitors that success in a tangible way, and as it comes down, that same mission keeps moving forward with the stories we bring in next,” said Nicole Harvey, director of the Oklahoma History Center Museum.
Since opening in November 2005, the Oklahoma History Center has welcomed more than three million visitors to its 215,000-square-foot facility and added more than 25,000 artifacts and 39 million archival items to its collections. It is the only facility in the world affiliated with both the Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Visitors have through August 15 to see the exhibit before it closes. The Oklahoma History Center Museum is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Following the exhibit’s closing, the Oklahoma History Center Museum, in partnership with the Vietnamese American Heritage Community of Oklahoma, will open “Our Journeys,” presented by Vietnamese Boat People. It is a multimedia traveling exhibition on display from September 12 through January 4, 2027. The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, exploring Vietnamese American migration and resilience through oral histories, photographs and an Oklahoma-specific component developed by OHCM staff.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.