Tour the new Shop Contemporary retail space with manager Garrett Colton

A figure in a black mask, wearing a black shirt featuring the word "hello," looks into the camera

Garrett Colton leads Oklahoma Contemporary's Visitor Experience and retail teams, with the goal of making your arts experience unforgettable.

You love Oklahoma Contemporary — now take a piece of it home. Among the many exciting changes coming to your new arts center is a retail space dedicated to art-forward items unique to us. Shop Contemporary is your source for original art, home goods, stimulating gifts for kids and all points in between.

"I want to have pieces that are truly unique to us — things you can’t find in other shops around the city," said Visitor Experience and Retail Manager Garrett Colton. "And I don't want to feel kitschy, either. You know, the same old thing."

Colton and his team took this mission to heart, packing the store's modest 140 square feet with products you won't find anywhere else in the Oklahoma City metro. "We’ll feature the stuff you might find in New York or L.A. or wherever else," Colton said.

A white Oklahoma Contemporary tote bag featuring an abstract design of native plants and various colorful enamel pins

The design process for Oklahoma Contemporary's locally printed, in-house tote bag includes dipping prairie grass in India ink and pressing it on paper.

While its ambitions might reach to the coasts, Shop Contemporary features plenty of local flare — with a focus on products made with love and care. "I don’t want to look for those local connections just for their own sake," Colton said. "I want work that is really top quality."

This philosophy has lead Shop Contemporary to open strong with a range of retail goods as diverse as they are unique. From an Oklahoma Contemporary tote bag designed and produced with local Cauldron Press to original stoneware by Norman-based artist Simphiwe Mbunyuza, custom pins from Eastside Pin Co., children's books from local publisher Penny Candy Books and more, the new retail space is your source for thoughtfully crafted gifts that inspire through art, on site and online.

The premise behind the shop is a microcosm of what we're doing as an arts organization.

— Garrett Colton, visitor experience and retail manager

A colorful display of artistic basketball cards, featuring players depicted in bright neon colors

Basketball cards designed and printed by Cauldron Press, an OKC risograph printshop in the Meta Flop collective.

Shop Contemporary is now open online, offering free curbside pickup or standard shipping. Along with Café Contemporary opening for takeout across the lobby, the launch of our retail space signals a new era for Oklahoma Contemporary as we extend our mission into new experiences for visitors.

Until you're able to visit and browse for yourself, shop online and check out this video with Colton as he shows you around the new space and highlights a few of the products currently available.