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gation west of the Mississippi River. The building then passed to the Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council. With a $ 25,000 donation from Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Sheerar, matched by community fundraising, the total purchase of the building was $ 80,000. The doors to the museum opened to the public on November 17, 1974.
The exhibits themselves form a maze in the basement of the building, with an east entrance opening out onto Husband Street. What’ s seen on the floor is only about 1-5 % of the total collections, said Museum Director Catarina de Araujo.
In the upstairs auditorium, the museum hosts events such as concerts, fundraisers and more. De Araujo regularly provides pop-up exhibits for Stillwater events and research projects.
Current exhibits include the“ Block 34 Exhibit: Timeline of the history of Stillwater’ s iconic block,”“ Standards of Courage: Payne County in the Philippines During World War II,” an exhibit curated by OSU’ s History Department graduate students Brent Jones, Molly Adams, and Jessi Simmons under the guidance of professor and historian Laura Arata; and a new Business Exhibit featuring the historic Murphy’ s Department Store and Elizabeth’ s at Campus Corner.
T
he museum regularly hosts community-facing, outreach events including“ Cool Classics,” a summer concert series, a History Trivia night at Stonecloud Brewing Company, programs at elementary schools, local retirement communities and civic clubs, the Stillwater Arts Festival and more.
The museum regularly hosts community-facing, outreach events including“ Cool Classics,” a summer concert series, a History Trivia night at Stonecloud Brewing Company, programs at elementary schools, local retirement communities and civic clubs, the Stillwater Arts Festival and more.
Located in the lower level of the Sheerar Cultural Center on the east side of the building, admission to the museum is free and the doors are open from 11 a. m. to 5 p. m. Tuesday-Saturday. Guests may park in available spaces to the east and north of the building.
STILLWATER’ S ARTS AND ATHLETICS MUSEUMS
If you’ re into other kinds of museums, Stillwater has a collection you won’ t want to miss.
The Hazel Modella Art Gallery on Main Street focuses on bringing contemporary art to the community and promotes both emerging and established artists. Exhibitions for 2026 include the Young People’ s Art Exhibit, What is Left Unspoken( April 10-May 10), the 100-Day Project( July 10-20), Parallel Perspectives( Aug. 15-Sept. 14) and Variations on a Scene( Oct. 3-Nov. 2). The gallery, which offers free admission, is open noon to 6 p. m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. Saturday and 12:30-3 p. m. Sunday.
T he collaboration between the City of Stillwater and PAC has strengthened since three OSU architecture students first sought to create a community arts center. Now, the PAC is a thriving place to attend weekly classes to learn about painting, weaving, drawing, sculpting and more.
The Prairie Arts Center at 1001 S. Duck St. is a gathering spot for artists from both Oklahoma State University and the Stillwater community. The collaboration between the City of Stillwater and PAC has strengthened since three OSU architecture students first sought to create a community arts center. Now, the PAC is a thriving place to attend weekly classes to learn about painting, weaving, drawing, sculpting and more. The PAC is open Monday by appointment, noon-8 p. m. Tuesday-Thursday and 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Friday-Saturday.
OSU museums include the OSU Museum of Art on Husband Street( formerly a post office), Gardiner Gallery of Art housed in the Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts and if you’ re a sports enthusiast, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum at the corner of Hall of Fame Avenue and the Boone Pickens Legacy Experience inside the Boone Pickens Stadium.
LITTLE-KNOWN LANDMARK: DAVID LEWIS PAYNE MONUMENT
As joggers and cyclists bend around the southwest shore of Boomer Lake, some may notice a small monument and garden, but few probably realize they are passing a landmark of Oklahoma history.
The site is the grave of David Lewis Payne, a
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