Just across from Nichols Hills Plaza sits one of Oklahoma City’s oldest fine art galleries. Howell Gallery is run by Laura Howell Tirrell, who was born to be in the art business.
“In the 1970s, my parents would host art shows in Oklahoma City in partnership with a gallery out of Chicago,” Tirrell said. These shows’ benefits involved bringing truckloads of fine art to our city, with proceeds from the sales going to benefit the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma. Her parents, Linda and Ken Howell, realized that the metro needed its own resource for locals to purchase fine art, so they founded Howell Gallery in 1991.
This location has allowed the Howell family to create a space focused around beauty—both inside and outside the home. It houses Linda’s interior design business, and another Howell daughter, Leigh Howell Love, has her landscape design business there too. Ken Howell also ran a successful architecture firm from the building before he recently retired.
What began as a small gallery to feature a handful of local artists has grown into 7,000 square feet of curated space which features over 50 artists from across the country. “Most of our artists are either from Oklahoma or have a connection to the state,” Tirrell said. “We feel honored to be able to represent our artists and showcase their work.” She has brought together a wide variety of art, in different mediums and styles from traditional to contemporary, throughout the gallery. Each artist is distinct in their perspective and their work is routinely rotated.
Tirrell hopes guests to the gallery will feel at home. “I hope when visitors walk through the doors they instantly feel comfortable,” she said. “We have furniture arranged in a way to help you imagine a piece hanging over your sofa in your own home. You may find something that you love, or you may just get pleasure out of seeing some fantastic art. Art is for everyone to see.”
Tirrell noted that her favorite part of her job is connecting with the gallery’s clientele, many of whom are families that the Howell Gallery has helped for several generations. She loves helping new customers find the perfect piece of art to add to their personal collection. “Art should do something for you. If someone is on the fence about a piece, I tell them, ‘If you don’t love it, you’re not going to fall in love with it. You will know what you love when you see it. When it comes to art, just trust your gut on what you love.”
In addition to finding the perfect piece of art, the team at Howell Gallery will also help with lighting and installation. “Someone might not think they have a place for a new piece, so we encourage people to move things around on their walls. If you move a painting that has been hanging in one place for 10 years to an opposite wall, it will look completely different. Then it is almost like having two new pieces of art.”
Howell Gallery opens at 10 AM Monday through Saturday and is free to enter. Tirrell welcomes everyone in, whether they are interested in purchasing a piece of art or just want to view the collection: “Our main goal is for people to find something they love and admire for years to come.”
