It’s that time of year again; spring is in the air and that means one thing: Tulsa’s Art Studio Tour.  Each year the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition gives Tulsans an opportunity to get up close and personal with local artists by invading their personal space to see where they work.  Whether you’re an artist looking for inspiration, an art aficionado, a secret stalker, or just someone looking for something new to try, the tour is an absolute must.

On April 10^th and 11^th, 10 local artists (Gaylord Herron, Bob & Sandy Sober, Milissa Burkart, Denny Schmickle, Frank Campbell & Barbara Buell, Mark Lewis, Chris Mantle, and Chris Wollard) open their doors and invite you in to see the glorious (or humble) space where they create the art that so many of us love.  You’ll see how artists, sculptors, photographers, bookmakers, printmakers, ceramicists, and mixed-media artists work, and where they find their inspiration.  You’ll also have an opportunity to pick up some unique pieces as you go through the studios; last year Craig Woods had tiles for sale that inspired my in-laws to redesign the backsplash in their kitchen.

Does April seems like too long a wait?  Fortunately, the Circle Cinema has a preview to whet your palette. The theater is currently exhibiting a sample of artwork from each of the artists on the tour to give you an idea of what to expect.  I went by during the reception on Thursday and can honestly tell you it is definitely worth stopping by to see.

Tickets are $10 to see all 10 studios, or you can swing by and see Mary Beth at Dwelling Spaces and pick up your tickets for only $5 in advance.

With spring finally upon us, thoughts of the resumption of my warm weather rituals buzz around my head.  Winter has a tendency to make us picture our favorite bars, pubs, and clubs as doubly enjoyable during the warm seasons.  The dreaded journey outside for a phone call or cigarette is a constant reminder of how much better things will be during spring and summer.

Now that March has rolled around, I particularly look forward to visiting one of my favorite little Midtown dives, Drake’s Tavern.  Practically hidden on Cherry Street, right next to the now defunct Jazzmo’s Bourbon Street Cafe, this extremely narrow pub is still one of Tulsa’s best-kept secrets.  Although it seems more people are aware of its presence now than two or three years ago, the place just keeps on humming along quietly, fueled by regular patrons, who mostly seem to walk from their homes in the adjacent neighborhoods.  The crowd is definitely a more mature one, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to call them one of the more friendly bunches in town.  It’s quite apparent that most of them have known each other for quite a while; the “Cheers” vibe is definitely present.

If there is one memory of Drake’s that will pull me in at the beginning of spring every year, it’s really one of situational nirvana.  It’s a memory of sitting at the bar with a few friends — Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” on the stereo — and the dull roar of a fairly packed house of laid back middle-aged folks.  Oddly, I always remember both front and back doors being open and the evening just starting to set in, as well.  It’s hard to do that memory too much justice in type, but it really was one of those “everything is alright” moments.

As the nights get warmer, there is no doubt in my mind that I’ll soon find myself at Drake’s again, possibly playing darts and drinking a Marshall Atlas IPA.  Just as reliably as the coming of spring brings the anticipation of warm weather and trips to narrow little pubs, winter’s early sunsets will soon give way to more comfortable evenings with friends, beer, and music.

Drake’s Tavern is located at 1546 East 15th Street in Tulsa.

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Saturday marked the official launch for Independent Cause, our brand new music blog. The event was a huge success, raising over $1000 for the MDA and featuring some of the hottest acts in Tulsa music: The Televised, Ghosts, Broncho, Fiawna Forte (pictured) and La Panther Happens. Big thanks to all who came out to Eclipse and helped make our first event so great.  For more photos, see the post on Independent Cause.

Do you blog in Tulsa? Join other local bloggers for pizza, beer and geek chat.

We’re teaming up with Tasha Does Tulsa and The Art of Manliness to bring you the very first “Tulsa Blogger Meetup” Thursday, February 4th @ 7pm at Joe Momma’s downtown [map].

Have an interest in self-publishing? This event is for you.

Want to show your support? Grab the code for a button or banner HERE.

RSVP on the facebook event page.

All of us at The Tulsa Project hope that you and yours had a wonderful holiday season (and escaped the blizzard unharmed). We’ve all been hard at work around here, and though you might notice that a January issue has been mysteriously absent from our pages, don’t worry: big things are coming. We’ll be talking more about those in the coming days and weeks (hint: want the inside scoop? follow us on twitter or facebook) but for now, here’s a little morsel to quench your thirst until our February issue hits the web in two weeks.  -ed.

It’s a new year, and we all know what that means: it’s time to make big promises, epic plans, and lofty resolutions. Of course, a new year can be a new beginning…or just the next chapter in the same old story. This month, we look at the ten most popular New Years Resolutions in America, and present them for your viewing pleasure.

Illustrations by Lisa Champlin.

#10

Enjoy Life.

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I went to see Legally Blonde the Musical a few nights ago. Hundreds of us packed into the darkened theater, our moods rising and falling with the actors on stage,  songs bringing us all together, united in wanting it all to work out; we all have the same goal for these few hours.  It reminded me of how much I love going to the theater, and thankfully Tulsa has a thriving theater scene.

Whether you’re in the mood to see a mainstream musical or something more “outside the box”, there really is something for everyone here.

For me, discovering theater in Tulsa was something of a fluke; my only personal experience with theater was school productions.  That is until I saw a production of Our Town at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, and a whole new world opened up: a theater junkie was born.  I begged and pleaded with my family to see any and every show that came through town, and as I got older I went on my own.

Things in Tulsa have changed a lot in the 10+ years since I saw that show; though the PAC is still a great venue for productions from national tours, Theater Tulsa and other local productions, there are so many more options to junkies like me these days.

One of my favorite places, the Nightingale Theater, has carved out a niche as the non-traditional theater locale in Tulsa.  Over the years they’ve hosted moving performances of The Vagina Monologues and The Laramie Project, and pushed the envelope with Burlesque shows and the Horsemeat Flea Circus.  No matter what you’re in the mood for, anytime you go to the Nightingale you’ll come away with a new frame of mind when it comes to theater.

The University of Tulsa has also become quite a fix for this theater junkie.  As an undergrad I took as many theater classes as I could without majoring in it, and attended as many shows there as possible.  Besides putting on a host of greatly produced classic musicals and plays, TU has created an environment and forum for young writers and actors to create new and unusual works. I often go back as an alum to support artists willing to put their work on display.

So now, years later, my infatuation with a performance of Thornton Wilder has given way to an infatuation with the growth of theater in the city, with the underbelly of Tulsa nurturing artists and helping give birth to their new creations.

Kate Huggins can be reached on her Twitter page.

In case you haven’t heard (or been!), Winterfest is back downtown and bigger than ever. Now featuring a larger ice-rink, a heated hospitality tent, and Oklahoma’s largest Christmas Tree (44 feet!). If you want proof that downtown Tulsa is on the upswing, go sip a hot apple cider and watch the skaters on the jam-packed ice rink. It’s a beautiful thing.

Besides, I think we can all agree that having more family-friendly events downtown is awesome. I attended the event this past Friday with TTP staff photographer Connor Wingfield and a great time was had by all. I strongly recommend it.

Winterfest runs daily and nightly til January 4th, and by popular demand, on Christmas Day from 5-10pm. For a complete schedule and all the awesome info, check out the BOK Center’s Winterfest page.

If you’ve read the “Introduction” article from last month’s issue (you should) you already know that I specifically said there that The Tulsa Project is not a blog. And you’d be right to point that out. The Tulsa Project is a monthly online magazine.

Having said that, we realize there are certain stories, events, and updates that are a little more…timely than that. If we find out about some fantastic event we think you should attend next week, we obviously can’t wait another month to tell you about it. This space will also give us a place to let you know what we’ve been working on, and more importantly, what you think about it. All posts in this area are open for comments, and we encourage you to do so. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The Tulsa Project is all about you.

So, along with the launch of our second issue we’ve rolled out some major improvements on the tulsaproject.com homepage. We wanted to integrate more dynamic content without sacrificing our magazine feel — so along with our monthly issues, watch the homepage for new content throughout the month.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to hearing from you!