City of Tulsa and TU Begin Historic Partnership

July 1 marked the beginning of a historic partnership between the city of Tulsa and Tulsa University as TU took over management of the famous Tulsa museum. It was also the opening day of a new exhibition featuring a collection of memorabilia from the famous Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, located near Ponca City during the early decades of the 20th Century.

Mayor Taylor and TU president Steadman Upham finalized the management transition at a morning press conference at the museum and introduced Duane King who will serve as Director of the Gilcrease Museum.

With the change in management, Tulsa University has sole management responsibility for the Museum and its historic western art collection. All museum hires are now TU employees.

The museum was acquired by the City of Tulsa in 1954 from founder Thomas Gilcrease, and had been managed by the City of Tulsa ever since. Many Tulsans worked tirelessly over the years to maintain the museum and its fantastic collections of Western art, culture and memorabilia.