Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art

I stopped at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum on a trip to Shawnee last weekend.  The quality of this museum is one of the best kept secrets in the area.  First of all, its small size is one of the most enjoyable things about it.  You don’t have to worry about wasting the whole day there, wandering through rooms of artifacts until all of time becomes one big blur like your 10th grade history class. 

Upon entry, you’ll see the curio cabinet containing the collection of Fr. Gregory Gerrer, featuring old currency, shrunken heads, and war helmets.  It turns out he was quite the artist, as well as collector.   An official portrait he did of Pope Pius X is on display.  He also painted a copy of that portrait which hangs at the Vatican.



Going along with the religious theme, the Renaissance and Medieval art are always some of my favorites.  I love the haloed Madonna and baby Jesus images in Asian, Spanish, and Caucasian flavors.





Surprisingly, some things there are not found anywhere else locally.  Tutu, the only Egyptian mummy in the state of Oklahoma, rests at the museum.  There are also a cat mummy, 2 additional sarcophagi, and other artifacts from Egypt.

In other collections, there are some impressive ivory pieces.  The docent indicated that those are normally seen in European museums, but not in the US. 

The African masks might make you want to jump right into the suit of armor, or the native American costume might inspire you to attend a local pow-wow.  I’m sure there are a lot of notable things left unmentioned, but you really should discover them for yourself.  It’s well worth the $5 admission — or the free admission if you go in the summer.

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
St. Gregory’s Campus
Shawnee, OK
http://www.mgmoa.org