Oklahoma City Museum of Art Announces New Saint John’s Bible Exhibit

Saint John’s Bible Exhibit
Image: newsok.com

Duke Ligon maintains a position on several directorial boards for community organizations and agencies in the oil and energy industry. Furthermore, Duke Ligon serves as an officer on the board of trustees for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA), which will open Sacred Words, an exhibit on the Saint John’s Bible and the Art of Illumination, in October 2016.

Featuring a collection of 70 folio pieces from the Saint John’s Bible, Scared Words will include a number of original, unbound illuminated manuscripts on calfskin vellum, in addition to sketches, tools, and drawings used to create it. It will display all 73 books of the New and Old Testament presented through seven volumes of approximately 1,150 pages. The museum will also incorporate a selection of historical documents and illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Hours, Torah scrolls, and Quran pages. Additionally, the first monumental-sized Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in the modern era will serve as the exhibit’s centerpiece.

Queen Elizabeth Crown scribe and calligrapher Donald Jackson directed the creation of the Saint John’s Bible with the help of 23 artists, scribes, and assistants. A committee of scholars, artists, and theologians from the Minnesota-based Saint John’s University also provided guidance for theological aspects of the project. The Bible also incorporates a number of its medieval predecessor characteristics that include gold-leaf gilding, natural inks, and hand-ground pigments.

The Sacred Words exhibit will open to the public on October 15, 2016, and run until January 8, 2017.

Best Friends of Pets Offers Spay/Neuter Assistance Program

Best Friends of Pets
Image: bestfriendsofpets.org

An experienced corporate professional, Duke Ligon serves as an owner, attorney, and manager of Mekusukey Oil Company in Oklahoma City and oversees a portfolio of mineral interests across the United States. Duke Ligon also holds a position on the board of directors for Heritage Trust, which supports a variety of community organizations, including Best Friends of Pets.

Best Friends of Pets works to control pet overpopulation through initiatives such as its Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP partners with participating veterinarians and nonprofit clinics throughout central Oklahoma to provide pet owners with affordable spaying and neutering services. The program also offers low-cost rabies vaccinations at the time of spay or neuter for qualifying pet owners. To qualify for the program, pet owners must meet the eligibility criteria for a low-income or general public household. Annual and monthly income criteria are based on family size, and low-income households currently receiving assistance from government-aid programs, such as Medicaid or food stamps, may also qualify.

Spay and neuter costs for low-income families consist of a flat fee of $10 for cats and $20 for dogs, while general public fees vary according to species and sex of the animal. Neutering costs $35 for cats and $70 for dogs, while spaying costs $60 for cats and $90 for dogs. Rabies vaccinations cost $5 for each animal regardless of qualifying income levels.

OKC MOA’s Healing Arts Program

Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKCMOA)
Image: okcmoa.com

 

Oklahoma City resident and attorney Duke Ligon founded Mekusukey Oil Company in 1970. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Duke Ligon serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (OKC MOA).

The OKC MOA offers a program called Healing Arts that reaches out in several ways to bring art education and appreciation to people who are sick, in recovery, or otherwise unable to access the museum’s offerings.

Art can be a fun, educational, and sometimes therapeutic practice, especially for children who may not have many other outlets for self-expression. Teaching artists from the MOA visit the Oklahoma University Children’s Hospital to provide art lessons for children and teens in longer term care at the hospital. They also visit St. Anthony’s Behavioral Medicine to help children who have behavioral challenges to explore art as a way to express their thoughts and emotions.

Art may also be helpful for people dealing with memory problems or recovering from brain or spinal cord injuries. Teaching artists regularly visit patients at the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation centers; these artists also work with two memory care centers in Oklahoma that treat people who have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

On select Mondays, the museum hosts an event called Making Memories. On these days, the MOA closes its doors to everyone but those suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. These groups are given full access to the Museum along with several programs and activities to help them experience the art together.