The Arts By Ken Busby, Route 66 Alliance
Tulsa is a resilient city! With challenges facing every sector of the economy, the arts have had an especially difficult time rebounding from the pandemic namely because so many of the arts depend on in-person experiences, whether visual or performing. With safety protocols in place, organizations that had pivoted to mostly virtual experiences in the spring and summer began to schedule in-person events in the fall of 2021.
In addition, Tulsa added two engaging public artworks this year, putting artists to work. One is part of the city’s One Percent for Public Art program. “Highlight” is located at the Cox Business Convention Center and was created by Colorado artist Andrew Tirado. It features three oversized, colorful and integrated elements: a two-prong electrical plug, power cord and a light bulb raised 28 feet above the ground.
The City of Tulsa has long recognized the importance of the arts to the cultural life and economic wellbeing of our community. To assist organizations hit hard by the pandemic, the City of Tulsa, Tulsa City Council and the Arts Commission of the City of Tulsa established the Vision Arts Resiliency and Recovery Grant Program. The program provided $300,000 in grants to local nonprofit arts, humanities and cultural organizations.
The second artwork, the largest augmentedreality mural in the world, was commissioned for the Main Park Plaza parking garage by the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity. “The Majestic” is an art deco-inspired depiction of flora and fauna native to the Tulsa area, including scissortail flycatchers, swallowtail butterflies, flathead catfish and eastern redbuds, which appear to come to life on your smartphone through augmented reality technology.
The central figure of the work is an angel holding two babies, also in the art deco style. The mural was created by Los Angeles-based artists Ryan “Yanoe” Sarfati and Eric “Zoueh” Skotnes. Thanks to a new air filtration system, masking and vaccination policies, Tulsa’s performing arts organizations were able to bring their audiences safely to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center after more than 18 months. Broadway’s anticipated return to the Tulsa PAC via Celebrity Attractions was highlighted by a much-heralded presentation of “Come From Away,” the musical that tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander in the province of Newfoundland following the 9/11 attacks.
The cast of “Come From Away” performs at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
tulsacouncil.org
| VISION TULSA 2022
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