G. Patrick Riley (born 20th century) is an American artist, art educator and mask maker from Oklahoma. His masks have been used in productions at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

. His works are in the collections of the

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is a non-profit art museum in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA. It is located on the former Oklahoma Baptist University Green Campus, being the campus of the former St. Gregory's University. In June 2024, over six years si ...

, the

Oklahoma State Capitol The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,50 ...

, the

Arkansas Arts Center The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA), formerly known as the Arkansas Arts Center, is an art museum located in MacArthur Park, Little Rock, Arkansas. The museum's most recent expansion and renovation was designed by architecture and urban des ...

, the AT&T collection and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

. In 2011, the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

awarded Riley a commission to create an eagle sculpture, 28 feet in height, in the atrium of the supreme court building.

Biography

As a four-year-old child, Riley's family would visit Fr. Gregory Gerrer's museum on the campus of

St. Gregory's University St. Gregory's University was a private Catholic university with its main campus in Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States. It was one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It had an additional campus in Tulsa. ...

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...

. He credits these experiences as having a significant impact on his artistic career, specifically his exposure to Tutu the mummy, the taxidermy animal collection and the African mask collection. Riley studied at

East Central University East Central University (ECU or East Central) is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Duran ...

for two years from 1959 to 1961. He finished his bachelor's degree at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in 1962. He later completed his master's degree at the University of Oklahoma in 1972. In 2010, the Ford Center commissioned Riley to design and create a mask as a gift for American actress and singer

. Riley purchased a copy of her biography and watched her music videos for inspiration for his design.

Exhibitions

*"Celestial Connections: The Art of G. Patrick Riley, Sharon Montgomery, and Glen Henry",

, September 10, 2022 – October 23, 2022 *"Magical Mystery Masks: The Art of G. Patrick Riley",

, September – October 2011 *"Alumni Exhibition", Pogue Art Gallery,

; August 2013

Recognition

*Governor's Arts Award, Arts in Education, 1995 *Governor's Arts Award, Special Recognition, 2011 *Paseo Art Association, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011

References

External links

Patrick Riley on the Oklahoma Arts Council's Teaching Roster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, G. Patrick Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century births Living people 20th-century American educators 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century people from Oklahoma 21st-century American educators 21st-century American male artists 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century people from Oklahoma American art educators American male sculptors East Central University alumni Educators from Oklahoma Masks in theatre Sculptors from Oklahoma People from Ada, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni