Art, community donations, city of Blackwell and the Top of Oklahoma Historical Society Museum have joined to create a new space at the Museum to honor past museum board members. A newly renovated patio outside the Clubroom opens officially to the public Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 8:30 am.Lea Reames and Rich Johnson were avid Museum Board members, dedicating hours of work to make the Blackwell museum a place that tells the Northern Oklahoma story in a professional way. After their deaths, both had friends and family who made donations to honor them with something special at the museum.“It took awhile to find the right way to honor Lea and Rich,” said Jaylene Soulek, Board president. “The revitalized patio where so many people come into the museum seemed like a perfect way to say how much both people meant to the museum.”“We hope that the many donors and friends of Rich and Lea will come to the opening to see firsthand how we have honored Lea and Rich,” Soulek added.The highlights of the patio are two metal screens with metal art and small barn quilts with historical subjects. The commissioned art was designed and created by Tyler Rowe. The barn quilts were created by board members with help from the Wonderfully Made Studio and Cindy Oard. Metal benches and potted plants finish off the space.“The city of Blackwell poured a whole new concrete space for the patio,” Soulek added. “The mix of broken concrete and weeds has been replaced with something beautiful.”
