Photographer Matthew Beard spent some time this past weekend at the Occupy Tulsa protest occurring at the Chapman Centennial Green at 6th and Boston in downtown Tulsa.

For more information on the protest see the Occupy Tulsa website. More on the Occupy movement from The New York Times.

All images © 2011 Matthew Beard and The Tulsa Project.

Attention Tulsa’s young and hip: If you’re looking for something to do Saturday night, swing by and check out Momentum Tulsa going down 8pm to 12am at Living Arts. There’ll be live music from The Parakeet Chiefs and Deerpeople, amazing work from some of Oklahoma’s best young artists and yes, free food. So come by! Mingle! Have your mind blown by the quality of artwork! You’ll be supporting the arts in Oklahoma AND looking cool. Hard to beat that combination.

The Info

• What: Momentum Tulsa
• When: October 8th 8pm-midnight (show runs through October 24th)
• Where:  Living Arts, 307 E. Brady
• Tickets: $10 at the door, $7 advance (Dwelling Spaces, Lovetts Gallery and Ida Red, or online)

We left you a little while back, and I’m deeply sorry for that. Life gets in the way sometimes – people move away, they find new opportunities, they start families and sometimes even dissolve them – and our secondary pursuits, however well-intentioned, all too often become the casualties of the out-of-control freight train that is life.

It is with great trepidation that I announce that we’re back – with new content, approaches, ideas and faces – but with the same intent of telling you, the people of Tulsa and beyond, our stories.

Tulsa as a Powder Keg
Recently I’ve been spending a great deal of time away from our beloved city. In my travels the subject of my home inevitably arises, and I’ve noticed a surprising (at least for me) and excitingly consistent trend: Tulsa is getting a reputation. In a conversation with a Dallas native a couple of months ago, I mentioned in passing my Tulsa heritage. “Oh, Tulsa” she exclaimed, “I’ve heard that’s the hip place to be these days”. She made comparisons to a young and smaller Austin, to Tulsa being a place where young people were excited to live, possibly even visit. But most importantly, at least to me, is that she’s never been here. This means that somehow, somewhere, the people of the world are saying good things about our little city. In San Francisco, friends were excited to hear about upcoming shows at the Cain’s (the conversation ensued, in fact, because so many of the bands playing the Bay area – like TV on the Radio and Fleet Foxes – had later dates in Tulsa).

Is it all just a fluke? A coincidence? I like to think it isn’t. I like to think that Tulsa has the kind of energy that cities have just before they hit their golden age.  On a visit to Austin, TX earlier this summer I was surprised and excited by what I saw there – sustainable, hip, progressive development, a burgeoning creative class, a rich food culture; all things which have, in recent years, begun to take root in Tulsa. We’ve planted so many of the seeds that could – and hopefully will – bear fruit in the long-term.

So Where Do We Come In?
A city expresses itself through its people. All we must do is look back through our city’s history to see the interwoven fabric, the mixing and intersecting of the lives of individual people. So what do we want to do? We want to tell your stories. Or, even better, we want to let you tell them yourselves (who, after all, is better qualified?).

Perhaps most importantly, we want you to have fun. There’s a time for serious dialog, a time for stern and critical reassessment (see our North Tulsa Piece) and there’s a time for light-heartedness. We strive to do important work, but also not to take ourselves too seriously. If we start a dialog that contributes to substantive change? Awesome. If instead we simply make you smile? We’ll take that too.

The Place

The Pearl represents an area of historic prosperity, where a community of business and residential spaces existed together in walkable harmony. Though mostly vacant now it’s easy to see that this area was once diverse and bustling.

“From 1920 to 1964, the local residential population seemed to adequately sustain two small groceries, as well as a barber shop, drugstore, dry cleaner, shoe repair shop, beauty shop, tavern, and restaurant.”

from The Pearl District – 6th Street Infill Plan

This balance of commercial and residential uses has become scarce in the Tulsa of the twenty-first century. Our grocery needs are mostly relegated to big box stores which reside in a sea of parking lots, and the era of the mom-and-pop drug store has given way to the Walgreens-on-every-corner approach to service.

But there’s hope, if not for the neighborhood drugstore than at least for a peaceful harmony of life, work and pedestrian-friendly development. The Pearl represents a somewhat unique situation in Tulsa: a tightly-packed grouping of salvageable (albeit run-down) commercial buildings adjacent to but independent from the urban core. While there’s nothing wrong with new buildings as part of urban redevelopment, it’s also important to utilize the historic infrastructure we have instead of letting it fall into ruin — or worse, bulldozing it to build cheap characterless retail or office space.

And so a group of citizens is fighting for The Pearl, before it’s too late.

We’ll be delving into the issue of the Pearl District in more detail over the coming months, profiling the history behind the area and the people championing — and resisting — its redevelopment and rebirth. In the meantime, here’s a recap of an event held last weekend that encapsulates the possibilities — and potential challenges — to developing the Pearl District.

Polishing the Pearl

Last weekend the Tulsa’s Young Professionals held the “Street Cred” event, which invited local businesses and organizations to help show off the potential for redevelopment in the Pearl. Volunteers cleaned up broken glass and garbage and applied fresh paint and temporary signage for the event. Local restaurants and eateries provided food and beverages, crafters displayed and sold their various creations and local organizations and businesses set up (temporary) shop to give 6th street some curb appeal.

Visitors check out displays from local organizations at the Streed Cred event April 15th in Tulsa's Pearl District.

Mod's Coffee and Crepes serves gelato and coffee to customers from a temporary storefront on 6th street for Street Cred, April 15th, 2011.

The Parakeet Chiefs entertain the crowd at Streed Cred on April 15th 2011 in Tulsa's Pearl District. Eclipse Cultural House played host to various local musicians and artists during the event to showcase Tulsa's talent and the development and cultural potential for the Pearl.

Temporary improvements to the Pearl included a fabric "canal" representative of the water feature included in the master plan for the area.

Links

• The Pearl District Association
• The Pearl District – 6th Street Infill Plan (City of Tulsa)

Tonight: OK Sweetheart’s CD release party at the historic Church Studio, located at 3rd and Trenton in the Pearl District.

The band is hard to put into a nice little package. You’ll hear hints of classic country, folk, 60s pop and modern songstresses like Regina Spektor or Jenny Lewis, but there’s a depth to their work that transcends simple comparison. Their debut album Home is gorgeous in its depth and texture and masterfully produced; beautifully orchestrated, a rich tapestry of piano, strings, guitars and keyboards underlying Austin’s sweet-as-honey croon.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s the video for the debut single “All We Have”:

Tickets to tonight’s show are $12 at the door, which includes a copy of the album; Sherree Chamberlain and Ben Kilgore open. The event kicks off at 7:30pm.

OK Sweetheart is Erin Austin on vocals, Rob Gungor on keys, Clay Welch on guitar, Dylan Aycock on percussion, and David Gungor on bass.

OK Sweetheart CD Release Party
Friday, October 8th @ The Church Studio, 3rd and Trenton
7:30pm, $12 at the door

Photo by Michael Champlin at the 2010 FreeTulsa music festival

October in Tulsa means a lot of things: a certain welcome crispness in the air, that hint of color creeping into the leaves, the sudden longing to be outside. Then of course there is that other thing, the big event we love, we love to hate, we hate that we secretly love; that’s right, it’s fair season.

This year Rachel Kelso, a local photographer, took her beloved October pilgrimage with a unique goal in mind. She’d document the fair with her lens, as she always did, but this year with a unique twist: she’d use selections from her collection of vintage & toy cameras (in this case the Diana Mini and the Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim). The results are, like this season and the beloved fair, just a little bit magical.

The Tulsa State Fair continues through October 10th.

Rachel Kelso is a 25 year old housewife with an expensive photography habit. She resides in Sand Springs with her husband. She can be reached online at http://writingtheridiculous.wordpress.com/ or by email.

This weekend, Tulsa’s Young Professionals‘ Next/Now Art Show goes on display at Living Arts.  Typros started the Next/Now Art Show five years ago as a way to showcase the work being done by Tulsa’s YPs.  What I’ve loved about this event every year is that there really are no limits to what art is produced, so as an attendee, there is no shortage of pieces available, and there is sure to be something to engage everyone. I can honestly say I don’t know who or what will be featured in this year’s Next/Now, but I know that there will surely be enough variety to satisfy my need for art — at least for now.

And let’s not forget about the venue.  If you haven’t visited Living Arts‘ new space, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out one of Tulsa’s most impressive new arts venues.  Living Arts has been a stable piece of the Tulsa art scene for over 40 years, and it now has the space it deserves.  The building is an ideal space for art, giving more than enough room for patrons to peruse and mingle with friends.  Living Arts has continued to support art in all mediums, from painting to sculpture, film, performance, concept — and a few things I don’t even have words to describe.  Like I said, if you haven’t been to Living Arts, this is a great opportunity to come mingle and network with young professionals (don’t forget to consider a donation to Living Arts for all they do for Tulsa, it has been earned).

So you’ve got what is sure to be a great show, a great venue, how about some great food? Come to the reception on Tuesday, July 27^th from 6-9 pm and try some of Vitter’s Catering’s Caribbean food and The Melting Pot’s dessert.  Plus: a steel drum band, and Tony Bailey and Clair Collins performing Spoken Word.

I’ll be writing a follow up after visiting and seeing the art this time, but for now, I encourage you to get out and check out this show; it’s definitely something you won’t want to miss.

Living Arts Tulsa is located at 307 E Brady St [map] in the Brady Arts District.

Have an event, project, person you want featured in the art section of The Tulsa Project? email thom@maketulsa.com

Starting June 29th the Tulsa Young Architects Forum presents it’s biennial Beyond Bricks art show, featuring juried artworks created by its membership. The show runs at Living Arts, closing with an Artists Reception on Thursday evening, July 8, 2010, and features works in a variety of mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, glassblowing and more. From Beyond Bricks founder Jed R. Ballew:

“Beyond Bricks demonstrates that architects and designers not only create the functional art of buildings and spaces, but their talent and methods of artistic expression transcend their vocation.”

The show runs through July 8th, hours as follows:

What is, in my most humble opinion, is the first Alliday Show this weekend. Alliday is the brainchild of Briana Hefley-Shepard and April Snodgrass, both local crafters and collaborators of SheezKrafty.  Now that summer has set in with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day behind us, and Christmas way too far off to even think about, there seems to be no hope for lovers of holidays, or so it would seem.  The whole idea of Alliday is that every day can be a holiday, which is enough of a reason for me to celebrate!

In the Ford Truck Exhibit Hall at the Tulsa Fairgrounds on Saturday, these lovely lades are bringing 50+ artists and crafters together for a full day (9-5).  They have assembled an…eclectic variety of wares for you to shop, all listed on the Alliday site, some of whom you can see a little more closely at the blog.

Honestly, whether you’re in need of a gift, know someone who could use a little pick me up, need to treat yourself, or just have a little free time, you should make your way to Alliday and show local artists and crafters some love Saturday.

Do you know an artist or an art event you’d like to see on the Tulsa Project?  Email me, thom[at]maketulsa[dot]com, I’d love to hear from you.

In Tulsa, those three words are often considered enough to write off an entire geographic area, making it unacceptable for living, visiting or otherwise considering in any way. In this article, the first in a series about North Tulsa, we consider why. But hold on, we’re not here to deliver a guilt-driven diatribe; rather, we’re concerned that a ferociously negative attitude and perception of North Tulsa has been built up over the entire lifetime of the city (mostly due to institutionalized racism and the leftovers of segregation) and frankly, you should be too.

We know what you’re thinking. It’s true, there is crime in North Tulsa. There’s an article about a gun-related crime almost every week in our major publications. But what we must consider is that if there’s a crime problem in North Tulsa, there’s a crime problem in Tulsa. Compartmentalizing it, pushing it out of our minds and across the train tracks, is just a way for us to separate ourselves from the problem.

Barber shop in the Greenwood area, once known as “Black Wall Street”.
Photo by Michael Champlin

In many cities across the country, lower-income neighborhoods weren’t always lower-income. Through many racially-driven practices in the 1930’s, mortgage companies began segmenting major cities into regions where they felt comfortable lending money, and regions they didn’t. Soon, this practice was adopted by insurance companies as well. As one can imagine, the neighborhoods they refused to lend to, or insure, were predominately African American, though this also happened with Mexican, Asian and Jewish neighborhoods. The practice is referred to as redlining, because when the mortgage companies decided not to lend within a particular area, the area was colored red on the map. This practice is a major contributor to the modern day ghetto. This is the case with most major cities, but Tulsa is different. As we know from the information gathered for the Report on the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 [link], North of the Frisco railroad tracks (parallel to Archer St. in Downtown Tulsa) was a predominately African American neighborhood, specifically concentrated around Greenwood. The area was nicknamed “Black Wall Street”, and it was almost completely destroyed during the race riots. This tells us that North Tulsa has been predominately black since our town’s beginning. This didn’t mean that redlining didn’t exist, however, Tulsa just made it easier for the mortgage companies to discriminate against North Tulsa, as the city overall was mostly segregated by the 1930s.

So for whatever reason, Tulsans often have a very negative perception of the north side. We’ve probably all heard some heinous things said; we’ve even heard of people who refuse to go downtown because it’s near North Tulsa. Within a few months of opening, the Gateway Market, a new grocery store at Pine and Peoria, was robbed at gunpoint; a horrible tragedy for any business, not to mention its employees and guests, to endure. A citizen commented on the Fox 23 story regarding the robbery that “North Tulsa does not deserve to have anything nice until they start taking care of their own neighborhood.” This kind of sentiment is startling, but widespread. Comments on other sites, such as the Tulsa World, echoed the same sentiment: that somehow the store had it coming. Do we, as citizens, as human beings, really believe that anyone deserves to be robbed? Additionally Gateway Market opened at that particular location to serve a part of the community which hasn’t had a major grocery store for years. This is precisely the kind of perception that only worsens the problem. When someone is shot at 51st and Peoria we don’t say “Better stay away from Midtown!” North Tulsa is constantly chided as dangerous and unsafe, but many places in Tulsa have high crime rates including West Tulsa and East Tulsa.

Are there are exceptions to the “Don’t go to North Tulsa” rule? Of course. How about the Zoo? Mohawk Park, Gilcrease Museum, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Oxley Nature Center are all congregated north of our very own proverbial “Mason-Dixon Line”. Families from Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Tulsa, Sand Springs and beyond flock to the Zoo every year; people fish the Mohawk Park Reservoir, and busloads of school children are shuttled to and from Oxley Nature Center. We can likely all agree that these are some of our city’s greatest treasures, and without North Tulsa we might lose them to Bixby or Jenks. Recently Newsweek rated Booker T. Washington High School the 58th best high school in the nation. Is giving your student a great education worth the risk of traveling to North Tulsa? Parents citywide have decided that it is.

Tulsa’s skyline from the Reservoir Hill neighborhood.

A lot of progress has been made in recent years on the western side of “North Tulsa”, particularly immediately west and north of downtown. Neighborhoods like Crosbie Heights, Owen Park and Brady Heights are experiencing a sort of rebirth fueled by the influx of a younger, more open-minded demographic. Many people remain skeptical about the safety of these neighborhoods, and still others wouldn’t technically call this “North Tulsa”. But it’s still all about perception. Neighborhoods like Reservoir Hill (north of Pine on Denver) and Gilcrease Hills (Gilcrease Museum Road and Pine) have been long-standing neighborhoods in North Tulsa. In Reservoir Hill, if you blink twice you may think you’ve gone into a wormhole and come out in a posh San Francisco neighborhood.

Many people think North Tulsa and begin to think of things like gangs, guns, violence and drugs; the truth is people who think those things often haven’t seen enough of North Tulsa to make an informed judgment. Many people raise their families, live happy lives and grow old in North Tulsa. Crime is a problem our whole city needs to face. Our city is facing a massive deficit, and one reason we’re losing sales tax revenue is because so many young families move to Jenks, Bixby, Owasso and Broken Arrow; when people move to the suburbs they no longer pay property tax to the City of Tulsa, and much of their disposable income goes to businesses in their immediate vicinity. If we can alleviate crime and solve other crucial problems that are holding back our city (and not just its northern side) perhaps we can take steps toward changing perceptions. In a modern day 2010, Tulsa cannot afford to continue alienating North Tulsa. We can neither fiscally nor ethically afford it. It’s time for all of us to get serious about Tulsa’s problems and stop thinking about geography. We encourage you to explore “North of Admiral”; you may be surprised by what you find.