Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art — Attraction in Norman

Overzealous security officers at the Fred Jones Museum in Norman, Oklahoma have made visiting the museum such an unpleasant and distasteful experience for me that I no longer feel welcome at the museum. I think the security officers at the museum need to be more customer focused and help visitors enjoy the museum experience rather than trying to catch and reprimand them for doing something wrong.

Let me explain.

I do not live in Norman, Oklahoma but I have enjoyed visiting art museums around the world. I know something about bronzes, the lost wax method of casting, and my wife and I have had a number of bronzes cast at Bronze Horse Foundry in Pawhuska for our personal collection. I am especially interested in works by Allan Houser and have visited his foundry and outdoor sculpture gardens in Southern Santa Fe County in New Mexico. The Fred Jones Museum has two Housers that are among my favorites: "Dance of the Mountain Spirit" and "As Long as the Waters Flow" that I particularly enjoy.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 was a rainy and overcast day in Norman, Oklahoma and in my experience that is the best time to visit a museum because the public stays away on days like this. I was right. When I arrived there were only two patrons (including myself) on the main floor of the museum and about a half a dozen security officers. I felt like I had the entire museum to myself. But the one downside is that when patrons are outnumbered three to one by guards it always makes me feel a little uncomfortable because several guards hover over each patron which I find breaks the spell of silent contemplation in a sacred space.

I went to Houser's "As Long as the Waters Flow" and stood in front of it contemplating the piece for several minutes. The bronze itself is displayed in very subdued light which makes it difficult to observe the fine detail in the piece so I took out a small pocket-size penlight that I always carry in my shirt pocket and directed the light to her face so I could study the detail around her eyes.

Two security officers who had been following me immediately descended on me. "Sir, you will have to put that away. It is not permitted in the museum," barked one of the guards.

"I'm 68 years old and my eyes are not as good as they once were," I replied. "I was observing a detail in the bronze. Do you really think that shining a light on a bronze is going to damage it?" I replied.

"It is against the rules of the museum," came the reply, "and you will have to stop immediately."

I have seen bronzes out of doors in direct sunlight even at the Fred Jones Museum and there seems to be no concern that the sunlight will damage the patina. I could understand the damage a penlight could do to a painting but I fail to understand the damage a penlight could do to a bronze. If there are specific rules about photographing pieces or shining penlights on bronzes then these rules should be posted.

Finally, even if it is indeed a rule at Fred Jones Museum that no penlights can be used to study the museum's bronzes, then I still think the entire incident could have been handled more diplomatically. The encounter has left a bad taste in my mouth and the brusque manner I was accosted upset me and spoiled the museum experience for me. I would feel unwelcome and uncomfortable visiting the Fred Jones Museum again and I would not recommend the museum to any art patron who hopes to enjoy the silent contemplation and study of fine art...

It’s a very detailed review, but it’s worth a read if you are visiting with your younger children.( Toddlers)

The museum was recommended to us by family members who attended this school and live in the Norman area.

We visited with my wonderful uncle, who had sent two students to this school and was very enthusiastic about showing us the place. He mentioned that the museum had recently added a "kid/toddler-friendly" section.

The museum was quite empty, being summer and midweek. We found ourselves almost alone, with only a couple of other patrons. Our family regularly attends museums and holds memberships to several. However, as soon as we walked in, the staff began following us closely rather than simply monitoring. One staff member even stood uncomfortably close to us, displaying micro-managing behavior at its worst.

The kid section is tucked into a corner next to an exhibit that children are not allowed to touch. I question the logic behind this setup. It seems like the person who designed it lacks experience with children or knowledge of childhood education. My first recommendation is to educate yourself and your staff better in customer service and childhood education. This is an educational institution, after all.

After we left that area, we continued to be followed. One younger staff member approached us and said, "I understand you are trying to explore the museum with your kid, but you need to control him." He looked unpleasant and seemed to be having a bad day, which is not a good trait for someone in customer service.

As someone with decades of experience in customer relations and as a mother/educator, I suggest taking the time to refresh some training at this location with a professional.

Upper management needs to understand that micro-managing is counterproductive, especially in a museum setting. It's 2024!

This museum is admission-free, but even the paid museums we frequently visit have never treated us this way. We regularly visit science, aviation, and art museums. Something is not right here.

After the staff reminded us of how we should "be" at the museum, I assume it was their manager that paid us a visit within minutes. All these interactions happened within a 15-minute timeline. The staff seem to fail to create a friendly environment often!!

They then gathered about 100 feet away and indirectly stared at us, particularly at my son, whom I was trying to teach and occasionally chase after because he is 2 years old. It was so obvious it made me laugh.

The manager came up to me again and said they might have to ask us to leave, with an unfriendly face and awful tone. Upper management needs to understand that anyone who feels unwelcome will notice it quickly in most cases probably. From all the negative reviews, it's clear that the common issue is the way the staff treats visitors. The oldest review dates back six years!

Enough time has passed for this management to recognize the main issue here. It’s sad to see uneducated staff guarding a museum within an educational institution. Perhaps you could learn from other museums with similar setups, such as UPENN, Stanford, MIT, and the Dallas Art Museum. There are many great models to follow...

This museum was beautiful and the art work was to die for but I am giving it one star due to the security workers and patrons following me around the whole time. When I first walked in I had a water bottle with me. There were no signs or any instructions on whether or not I could carry it. I started walking along trying to look at the art when a man started yelling. I didn’t know if he was yelling at me or someone else because I was already pretty far down in the museum. I was walking around and looking around when a patron stormed up to me demanding that I put my water bottle at the front. I was very polite and apologized and put it up at the front of the museum. The man looked very annoyed and then while I was on the first floor, practically every corner I turned he was there. I am a student at the University of Oklahoma who just wanted to enjoy my schools museum but I felt as though I couldn’t do that because I was being watched the entire time. I felt EXTREMELY unwelcome and uncomfortable when I was simply trying to observer the art. Even when I went down to some of the other floors of the museum I had a similar experience with the security guards. At one point one of the the guards appeared out of no where and took a very intimidating position (legs spread and arms crossed with his shoulders back). I understand that it is their job to make sure the art is safe and preserved but there are many other ways to go about this than practically following people around. I have been to a plethora of museums and I have never had such an unprofessional experience. When I left the museum, I grabbed my belongings and turned to the two men at the front talking, one of them being the one that came up to me at the beginning of my visit. I thanked them and smiled and the man who was following me around on the first floor looked at me with no smile, and a very demeaning look on his face. I walked out feeling horrible and the sad thing is is that I was looking to apply for a job here but don’t know if I will be doing so because of...