Oklahoma City Mayor Finally Addresses City’s Erotic Public Art Installation

Oklahoma City has some of the best public art in the state. And one of the reasons is because the city itself has specific guidelines for public art. But in 2018, a piece of public art was erected that made people do a double take and has given countless giggles to those who have laid eyes on it.

An article from The Lost Ogle, a satirical online publication from Oklahoma, was published on Sept. 4, 2018, that was titled "New OKC Cock Ring Erected In Downtown," and showed a picture of a round, steel piece of public art that had "OKC" embedded throughout the circular piece of art. But if you were to look at the piece long enough, your brain would begin to spell the word "cock."

Mayor Holt appeared on 'I've Had It' podcast and was asked about the 'cock ring.'

The current Oklahoma City Mayor, David Holt, recently appeared on the acclaimed podcast "I've Had It," which is hosted by Oklahoma City natives Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan, who were once the stars of "Sweet Home Oklahoma."

Welch and Pumps had many petty grievances to address with Mayor Holt. From obsessive podcast listeners, the recent presidential election to local annoyances in Oklahoma City, both the hosts and Mayor Holt have had it with a lot.

And for those familiar with "I've Had It," they know Welch and Pumps have a proclivity for erotic jokes, so of course they had to ask about Oklahoma City's iconic ring. Welch starts out by talking about the renaissance Oklahoma City is going through, mentioning the city's recent investments, the OKC Thunder and the "beautiful" development in downtown.

She then mentions the "art installation in downtown Oklahoma City that is a ring." And Pumps gave a little chuckle and smile as she watched Welch move her hand in circular motion. Mayor Holt laughed and then asked, "Is this a real interview?"

Welch then begins to describe the art installation and tells listeners "it's a circle in a median and if you think about the way 'OKC' is spelled... and it days 'OKC' all over it, and then it spells, if you think about it, 'c-o-c-k.'"

To which Mayor Holt responded, "I can't believe you're not saying the actual word."

Welch follows up with, "Mayor, I apologize for my language, but somebody else put this there, and it's called 'the cock ring.'"

And Mayor Holt stated with a smile and a nod, "I'm familiar with this landmark."

Since Oklahoma City has stringent guidelines for public art, Welch and Pumps asked Mayor Holt who cleared the installation of this particular landmark. Mayor Holt gave a great political answer at first stating that he was not in office when it was installed, but followed up with information about how the installation came about.

He said this one in particular was private sector driven and that the piece is actually blocking air conditioning units inside of it. He said, "it's one of those things that kind of happened and once it had, it was probably very expensive and not worth it to undo."

And he did agree, it's "one of things where you thought, 'nobody said anything?' I think it's actually a great case study in human behavior. Because there are probably people who noticed it, how do you say that out loud at a planning meeting?"

Check out the full interview below!

Where to Find the many murals by Justin Hackney's Spreading PAINT in Lawton, Fort Sill.

If you've driven around town you've probably seen all the murals we have in Lawton, Fort Sill. If you take the time to look you'll notice that they're everywhere. We're lucky to have so many talented artists that share their work with us regularly by painting murals. One name you've probably heard before is Justin Hackney and Spreading PAINT. His work of masterful murals can be found all over town. He's done some of the very best and has painted everything from rock stars to celebrities and everything in between. He has a style all his own and has painted murals in full color, vivid transposed negative style, and in black and white. Be on the lookout for his latest mural masterpiece he's going to keep painting them so long as people want them and there's wall space. Looking forward to seeing his next one! Check out the gallery below of Justin Hackney's Spreading PAINT murals and where to find them. We'll continue to add to the gallery as he paints them.

Gallery Credit: Don "Critter" Brown

Unique Things to Do in Oklahoma City

There is no shortage of things to do in OKC. While there are a handful of things everyone knows about--OKC Zoo, Myriad Gardens, Bricktown, etc-- there are even more lesser-known places to experience one-of-a-kind Oklahomaness. Some things cost a little money, others are completely free, but it's all fun for the whole family.

Gallery Credit: Kelso