State quarter design decided

[Patrick]

What are your thoughts on the final selection?



Oklahoma quarter: Panel selects design


By Chris Casteel
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — After evaluating five designs submitted by Oklahoma for its commemorative quarter, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has recommended one with the state bird flying above wildflowers.


The commission’s action, taken Thursday, is just one step in the process for selecting the state’s quarter, which will be released in 2008. Tuesday, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee is scheduled to evaluate the five designs submitted by Oklahoma and make its own recommendation.
The nine-step process also will include review and approval by the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the state. All 50 states are getting commemorative quarters in order of their entrance into the union; Oklahoma was the 46th state.

The design chosen by the commission, a seven-member panel composed of artists and architects, features a scissortailed flycatcher, the state bird, in the center of the coin, with a field of Indian blanket wildflowers around the bottom half. At the top is the word Oklahoma and just below that is the year of statehood, 1907.

The design was selected over four that depicted the Pioneer Woman, a famous statue in Ponca City of a woman and child that honors the courage of the homesteaders who came to Oklahoma — and other elements meant to convey the state’s history and character, including oil derricks (in two designs); a peace pipe (in two designs); a windmill (in one); and the state’s shape (in two).

Thomas Luebke, secretary of the Fine Arts Commission, said Friday that, in selecting designs for other state quarters, commissioners have tended to favor the simpler ones with fewer elements.

The Oklahoma design recommended by the commission, he said, is “simple and unique” and its symbols are not widely known. Contributing: Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau

[Karried]

The commission’s action, taken Thursday, is just one step in the process for selecting the state’s quarter, which will be released in 2008.

This is just a recommendation, not the final decision.. thankfully.

I hate this design. This could be anywhere, anyplace.. no one picking up this quarter would think ' Oklahoma '... I can't believe this was even an option.

[Curt]

This is just a recommendation, not the final decision.. thankfully.

I hate this design. This could be anywhere, anyplace.. no one picking up this quarter would think ' Oklahoma '... I can't believe this was even an option.

Exactly

[jbrown84]

Yeah, this is just one of nine parts of the approval process. PLEASE, PLEASE pick the pioneer woman one.

[NE Oasis]

Yeah, this is just one of nine parts of the approval process. PLEASE, PLEASE pick the pioneer woman one.

The Citizens Coinage group selected Pioneer Woman, whic hthe Fine Arts group panned. Maybe we should offer a mebership to OKC Talk for the remaining people involved in the selection process.

[jbrown84]

This is the one they picked (#4):




I prefer this one (#10), which is also one of the final five:

[HFK]

I like the design, but it certainly doesn't evoke Oklahoma. I like the idea of a derrick, an indian/peace pipe, or a pioneer/wagon. I can't really imagine a symbol designed to represent our State that doesn't incorporate at least a couple of those elements.

But, it's not the Sistine Chapel: the design should be simple. Has anyone seen the other designs?

Perhaps the "U.S. Commission of Fine Arts" isn't aware of the heritage of our State? Let's hope that the other recommendations are closer to the mark.

[Karried]

Yeah, this is just one of nine parts of the approval process. PLEASE, PLEASE pick the pioneer woman one.

I'm so with you on this... who can we direct to this site to see our opinions?

Anyone know how to reach these people? Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee ? lol, I never even knew we had a committee advising on coinage.. I learn something new everyday!

[Karried]

I love Google... who wants to draft a letter?

Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
801 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20220
Email address: info@ccac.gov
Recorded meeting information line: 202-354-7502

[mranderson]

The ones with the Pioneer Woman were much nicer looking.

[Kerry]

It should have been a picture of the land run.

[jbrown84]

It should have been a picture of the land run.

Definitely agree. Unfortunately that wasn't even one of the 30 or 40 options the Governor put up to a vote.

[pepper37]

As they describe the other choices versus this one I would agree that ANY of the other choices would represent Oklahoma and our amazing history in a much more recognizeable way...this doesn't scream "OKLAHOMA!" at all. Karried, I think you would write a great letter. Although, we could merely insert many of these comments as well as the results of the poll to show a strong representation of Okie opinion.

[floater]

Not liking it either; another vote for any of the pioneer woman designs.

[Karried]

Hey guys, preliminary draft.. anyone want to add anything before I email it?


To whom it may concern,

As citizens wishing to convey our state in a positive light through the choice of our new state quarter design, we are concerned that you may choose the somewhat 'generic' design of a bird flying over flowers.

We would like to encourage you to recommend a design that portrays some of the great accomplishments our state has achieved and hopes to achieve in the future.

We are a group that frequents the most popular message board in the state of Oklahoma and encourage you to visit if you would like to see the opinions of some of the residents of Oklahoma.

Please visit www.okctalk.com to read some of the comments at State Quarter Design Decided - OKCTalk.

Please consider recommending a unique design that will represent our state in a complimentary manner such as one of the Pioneer Woman designs. Images such as these will portray the great spirit of our state.

Thank you for your time,

Members of OKCTalk

[Jack Wonder]

^ WOW! That was the first look I've gotten at any quarter designs and I was sadly disappointed

I can't even tell what the heck that is in the middle, a SUNFLOWER?!? The spacing is bad as well.

...a sunflower and a bird???!!?

**asks warden to tighten the straight jacket**

[jbrown84]

Great letter, Karried!

[Karried]

Why thank you JBrown... I guess I'll go ahead and email it since they are meeting tomorrow.. hopefully, they will get it in time and take our suggestions to heart..

I mean, really, a bird over flowers could be anywhere! We need to depict something of OK's history or character.

I really hope they read the letter before voting..

[Patrick]

I don't like the symbol, but hey, aren't most of you against hick symbols? Have to admit, this quarter design doesn't make Oklahoma look like a hick state. At least it doesn't have any teepees or cowboys and Indians on it. It just leaves most people wondering what exactly Oklahoma is all about.

I agree with you all.....I think the Pioneer Woman was a nice symbol, that didn't leave you thinking hick! And an oil derrick is always nice.

[Jack Wonder]

I mean, a covered wagon says more about Oklahoma than flowers and birds that are rarely seen anymore. And I don't mean that in a "Boomer Sooner" way at all! But the land run is pretty historic.

[Patrick]

I mean, a covered wagon says more about Oklahoma than flowers and birds that are rarely seen anymore. And I don't mean that in a "Boomer Sooner" way at all! But the land run is pretty historic.

I agree, and done right, the landrun doesn't make the state look hick either. It just depends on how you put it in an image.

[jbrown84]

To me, the Land Run seems like the most OBVIOUS thing to at least consider for the quarter, and they didn't even have it in the initial designs.

It's the most interesting, unique thing about our history. The only other things that come close are tragic things--the bombing, the Trail of Tears, and the Dust Bowl.

[metro]

There isn't enough options on the poll, I don't like the final design nor the other top choices.

[Kerry]

Just a quick note. I sent a letter to the governor several months ago and poted it and the response on this site.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is my letter to the Governor:

Mr. Governor,

Let me say how disappointed I am with the designs you have chosen for the Oklahoma State Quarter. The choices presented to the people of Oklahoma lack everything from vision to an accurate portrayal of reality.

Half of the designs have prominent oilwells displayed on it. The oil industry, as a mainstay of the Oklahoma economy, left over 20 years ago. Even if the people of Oklahoma wanted to continue the "oil" theme why waste half of the choices on it?

These coins will be distributed around the world and saved by collectors for generations. This was an opportunity to show the world that Oklahoma was more than oil wells and Indians - instead you have taken this opportunity to cement that image in the minds of people around the world.

I am a former Oklahoma now living in Florida and I work daily to improve the image of Oklahoma as modern, economically diverse, and in some respect cosmopolitan. It would be nice to know that the Governor of Oklahoma tried to do the same thing.

Criticism without suggestions for improvement is not constructive, so I am including what I think would be a better representation of Oklahoma:

1. Pictorial of the land run
2. The state capital building (or complex)
3. Downtown Oklahoma City skyline
4. Mountains landscape
5. Turner falls
6. Tribute to aviation
7. Tribute science and biotechnology

In my opinion, the choices presented above are a much better representation of Oklahoma's past, present, and future than those selected by you and the design committee.

Thank you for your time.

[dismayed]

It's not a bad design, it looks respectable, but it just doesn't say "Oklahoma" to me.

I too am really surprised that a land run scene wasn't one of the top ten finalists. I don't know if that's because the governor's folks thought the depiction would be too complex for the back of a quarter, or if it was just an oversight?

I know that our state chose to select it's design based on submissions from the general public. In retrospect it might have been better to get 10 of Oklahoma's best artists together, asked them each to come up with something, and for us the public then to have voted on it. Something like this, that will be around forever, you just don't want to leave up to chance.

Realistically it's probably too late to do anything about it now.