10/16/2026
50PPAG artist, Okie Kintsugi Justin Short, has received the honor of being chosen to create a major kintsugi project for the Oklahoma City Thunder and their new stadium, the Continental Coliseum. The interior design of the coliseum’s structure incorporates elements of the art of “kintsugi” -the art of repairing broken pottery with gold.
As a philosophy, kintsugi embraces the complete history of an object, with the cracks and repairs becoming a part of the actual value of the piece through its memories, strength, resilience and beauty.
Oklahoma City understands kintsugi.
The “powers that be” at Oklahoma City Thunder understand Oklahoma City.
These same elements inherent in the process of breakage and repair, which result in greater-than-before beauty, strength, and remembrances, make kintsugi a perfect metaphor -not only for our great City of Oklahoma- but also for the kintsugi artist selected.
Oklahoma City (strengthened, tougher and even more beautiful, through our unique history and the more recent terrorist bombing of the Murrah Building) and Justin “Okie Kinsugi” Short (small-town Oklahoma boy who grew into a U.S. Marine, broken in life and in overseas wars, subsequently repaired, burnished and embraced by his dedication to self-improvement through the art (practice and philosophy) of kintsugi are both excellent embodiments of this ancient art.
Congratulations, Justin!
View his art at the gallery.
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50pennplaceartgallery.com
(Pictured is one of the 46 pieces of kintsugi Justin Short created for this project.)
