Where Brick Meets Contemporary Art: Inside Oklahoma City's Brickopolis District
Brickopolis is Oklahoma City's term for the collection of renovated industrial warehouses and adaptive-use spaces concentrated in the Warehouse District, primarily along Sheridan Avenue and extending into the nearby Midtown corridor. This article covers what makes the district a distinct arts hub, which venues anchor it, what types of creative work happen there, and practical information for planning a visit.
After reading, you'll understand how Brickopolis differs from other arts neighborhoods in the city, which spaces match specific interests, and why the brick-and-timber aesthetic shapes the creative programming inside.
The District's Identity and Recent Evolution
The Warehouse District's conversion from storage and freight handling to artist live-work lofts and performance spaces began in earnest in the early 2000s, accelerating after 2010. The nickname "Brickopolis" reflects both the literal industrial architecture and a deliberate marketing effort by property owners and the Oklahoma City Arts Commission to position the area as a creative quarter distinct from Paseo (the city's older, cottage-based arts neighborhood north of downtown) and the Plaza District (a retail and restaurant-focused corridor to the north).
The critical distinction: Brickopolis prioritizes artist studios and experimental performance venues over foot traffic retail. Paseo galleries invite casual browsing; Brickopolis studios typically operate by appointment or during monthly First Friday events. The Plaza District functions as entertainment and dining; Brickopolis functions as production space. This structural difference means visiting Brickopolis requires intentionality. You are entering active workspace, not a curated commercial promenade.
The district's identity also relies on affordability. Building owners in the Warehouse District charge significantly lower rent per square foot than comparable downtown locations. A 1,500-square-foot studio in Brickopolis costs roughly 30 to 40 percent less than equivalent space in the nearby Midtown Business Improvement District, allowing photographers, painters, sculptors, and performance artists to maintain large working areas. This economics-driven affordability has shaped the district's character more than any single institution.
Key Venues and Programming Models
The Warehouse District contains approximately 40 to 50 active artist studios and galleries, though this number fluctuates. Three anchors define the district's programming:
The Brick, located at 1 N. Sheridan, operates as a performance and event space hosting theater productions, music performances, and dance. Unlike traditional theaters with fixed seating, The Brick uses flexible staging suited to experimental and interdisciplinary work. Admission typically ranges from $10 to $20 for performances, though prices vary by event. Performances are not nightly; check the venue's schedule before planning a trip. The space's industrial interior, with exposed brick and original timber, serves as architectural backdrop rather than decoration.
Tower Theatre, at 425 NW 23rd Street (just outside the core Warehouse District but functionally connected), is a 1928 movie palace restored by the Oklahoma City theater community. It hosts a range of work including film festivals, theatrical productions, and music performances. This differs fundamentally from The Brick: Tower is a traditional proscenium theater with assigned seating for 500, whereas The Brick is a raw industrial venue seating 100 to 200 depending on configuration. Tower's programming skews more mainstream; Brickopolis venues skew experimental.
Individual artist studios cluster along Sheridan, Reno, and the surrounding blocks. These spaces are typically closed to walk-in traffic but open during the First Friday Art Walk (held the first Friday of each month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Participation among studios varies; expect 15 to 25 of the available studios to be open during any given First Friday. Most artists do not charge admission. Some studios serve wine or light refreshments; others do not. The walk is unguided, so a printed map from the Oklahoma City Arts Commission or mobile research beforehand is practical.
Types of Work and Curatorial Philosophy
Brickopolis hosts a higher concentration of visual artists (painters, sculptors, photographers, installation artists) than performing artists. Working studios in the district include painters producing representational and abstract work, metal fabricators, ceramic artists, printmakers, and mixed-media practitioners. A smaller number of photographers and video artists maintain studios. Live performance venues are fewer than exhibition and studio spaces.
The district does not operate under a unified curatorial mandate. Individual artists and venue operators make programming decisions independently. This fragmentation means there is no "Brickopolis aesthetic"—the district houses naturalistic painters alongside abstractionists, traditional sculptors alongside conceptual installation artists. The unifying element is working-artist presence and industrial spatial affordability, not stylistic coherence.
First Friday programming reflects this: one studio might exhibit small-scale oil paintings; the next door studio might display large-scale photography or interactive installations. A visitor should approach First Friday as an open-studio event rather than an organized art walk. The advantage is genuine artistic diversity; the disadvantage is lack of curation and higher odds of encountering work that does not align with personal taste.
Navigation and Logistics
The Warehouse District occupies roughly 15 city blocks bounded by Sheridan Avenue to the west, Reno Avenue to the south, Robinson Avenue to the east, and the railroad corridor to the north. Parking is free on the street and in several dedicated lots near The Brick and along Reno. First Friday attendance is heaviest between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., so arriving earlier or later will provide quieter access to individual studios.
Many studios lack street-level signage. Bring a phone with the Oklahoma City Arts Commission map or a printed list of participating studios. Some artists accept studio visits outside First Friday by appointment, but communication channels vary (social media, email through the Arts Commission, or direct inquiry if a studio address is known). No unified booking system exists.
If your interest is performance rather than visual art, timing matters significantly. Tower Theatre and The Brick maintain separate calendars. Tower operates year-round with regular programming; The Brick's schedule is denser in fall and spring, lighter in summer. Neither venue offers a single ticket that covers multiple performances, and advance purchase is often required for popular events.
The Warehouse District is within two miles of downtown Oklahoma City and Midtown but is not directly adjacent to either. Walking between districts is feasible (15 to 20 minutes) but not the default pedestrian pattern. Most visitors drive.
Practical Visit Planning
If you want to experience working artist studios, schedule a visit during First Friday. Arrive by 6:30 p.m. to maximize open studio time. Expect to spend 2 to 3 hours moving through 15 to 20 studios, depending on depth of engagement with individual artists.
If you want to see a specific performance, check The Brick's or Tower Theatre's calendars first and plan your visit around that event. Do not expect to build a district visit around performance alone; the concentration is insufficient to justify a trip based purely on performance timing.
If you are interested in artist studio rental or want to visit a specific artist's work, the Oklahoma City Arts Commission website lists participating studios and some artist contact information, though the listing is not exhaustive and not all artists respond promptly to inquiries.
Budget 20 to 30 dollars for parking and food (food options within Brickopolis are limited; most visitors eat before or after visiting). Performance tickets range from 10 to 25 dollars. Most studio visits are free.
The Warehouse District is functional as a arts production neighborhood, not a destination entertainment zone. Its value lies in access to working artists and experimental performance. It is not an alternative to established cultural institutions like the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (downtown) or Paseo, which operate under different programming models and serve different audience needs.
