Philbrook Becomes First U.S. Museum to Add Cats to Permanent Collection

(Tulsa, OK) Philbrook Museum of Art recently became the first museum in the continental U.S. to officially accession living domesticated cats into the Museum’s permanent collection. The “living” part is key as it’s quite common for museums (especially natural history museums) to have stuffed cats on view.

“Philbrook is both proud and humbled to be a pioneer in expanding the way museums see and define what a collection can be,” said Philbrook President/CEO/Internet Cat Video Festival Founder Scott Stulen. “Our Garden Cats have become a beloved part of the Philbrook Experience and just as valuable to us any painting or sculpture.”

This designation applies only to the two current resident Philbrook Garden Cats, Sage and Cleome. Two retired cats now living off-site, Acer and Perilla, are being considered for emeritus accession status by the Animal Accreditation Department of the American Alliance of Museums in Washington, D.C.

Accession numbers:
Sage: 2021.1.1
Cleome: 2021.1.2

PRESS CONTACT: 
Jeff Martin
Communications Manager 
O (918) 748-5352 
M (918) 697-9042 
jmartin@philbrook.org

About the Philbrook Garden Cats

We currently have two feline friends living and “working” in the Philbrook Gardens. They help with pest control and the guests love them. Our cats live a lavish life with heat in the winter and A/C in the summer. Keep an eye out and your camera ready on your next visit. They’re quite used to the paw-parazzi at this point.

Meet Sage (seen above):
This green-eyed lady is the latest addition to the Garden Cat crew. Sage came into our lives (and your hearts) in the middle of 2020 when we all needed her. She’s still growing and learning the ropes, but we knew she was Philbrook Garden Cat materials from day one. Getting her to read the Employee Handbook, that’s another story. Favorite color: green (a little obvious).

Meet Cleome:

Our senior (yet still very young) Garden Cat, Cleome was dropped here as a kitten. We’ve raised her like our own ever since. But don’t be fooled by that sweet little face, she’s a hunter at heart. All of our cats provide a certain level of pest control. Cleome seems to think it’s a competition. Favorite movie: The Terminator.