District: Art has always been the heart of Tulsa Arts District.

JOHN CLANTON, TULSA WORLD People gather in the Tulsa Arts District on a Friday that had the First Friday Art Crawl and the fi rst night of Mayfest in May.

ALL ABOUT THE ART

Tulsa Arts District evolves into one of city’s premier destinations

JAMES D. WATTS JR. Tulsa World Magazine

It’s been a “village.” It’s been a “belt.” It’s been a bowery. It’s been a boomtown. It’s watched over by an artifi cial cloud, and it’s right next door to the center of the universe.

It’s a place where a king once reigned, and weekly encouraged his faithful subjects to dance. It’s home to an “old lady” who for a century has welcomed the fi nest performers, the greatest shows.

And it has tried for years to present itself as artful. But it didn’t really grow into its full potential until it learned how to crawl.

The Tulsa Arts District has been many things to many people through the years, but geographically it’s always been centered around what is now called Reconciliation Way.

Its westernmost edge takes in the venue now known as the Tulsa Theatre, and it extends north to encompass the Cain’s Ballroom, which for several years in the 1940s was the home of Bob Wills, the king of Western Swing. Archer Street serves as the southern boundary, with Living Arts of Tulsa at the corner of Detroit and Reconciliation Way as the eastern outpost.

It is one of the oldest areas in the city, with some of its signature red-brick buildings dating back to statehood in 1907, and for the past dozen years, the neighborhood has been the site of continuous evolution.

And, as with any entity that’s been around for a long time, it has more than a few unsavory aspects to its history, beginning with what for many years was the neighborhood’s namesake.

Reconciliation Way started out as Brady Street, named for Wyatt Tate Brady, an early Tulsa businessman who was one of the founders of the city. In 2013, revelations that Brady had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan led to an e ort to rename the street, as well as the other places around the city that had “Brady” in their names.

The name was altered in 2013 to “M.B. Brady St.,” after the Civil War-era photographer Matthew Brady, before in 2019 being o cially changed to

Reconciliation Way. And what had been the Brady Arts District became the Tulsa Arts District in 2017.

The idea of turning this area into an arts district began in earnest in the late 1980s, shortly after after real estate developer David Sharp began buying a significant number of buildings in the neighborhood, and renting them out to businesses, individuals and groups, most of which were arts-oriented.

“At one time, a lot of commercial photographers had their studios here, because of the buildings having these high ceilings,” said Donna Prigmore, who, with fellow ceramic artist Mel Cornshucker, has run Artists Studio at the corner of Reconciliation Way and Boston Avenue for the past 25 years.

Soon, fine art galleries began taking up residence in the area, such as Galerie Europa, Davina’s Fine Photography and the Tulsa Center for Contemporary Art, an ambitious venue that combined performance space, art gallery and artists studios in the building that is now Caz’s Chowhouse and Club Majestic.

But one of the main catalysts that helped earn the name the Tulsa Arts District was the inauguration of the First Friday Art Crawl in 2007.

“When we started the Art Crawl, there was just Donna and Mel’s place, the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery, the Tulsa Glassblowing School, and Club 209,” said Bob Fleischman, owner of Chrysalis Salon & Spa and president of the Tulsa Arts District Business Association.

“But the first big kick was when Living Arts of Tulsa moved in, which brought its following to the district,” he said. “Then, when the George Kaiser Family Foundation began to get involved, with the Guthrie Green and the renovations of the Mathews Warehouse and Tulsa Paper Buildings into the Woody Guthrie Center, 108 Contemporary and the rest, the Art Crawl really took off.”

Fleischman said that the involvement of the restaurants and nightspots that began to populate the neighborhood also helped make it a true destination.

The district is going to be getting busier, as two major venues are set to open in 2022 — the Bob Dylan Center, which will be part of the same complex as the Woody Guthrie Center, will be home to the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter’s complete archive; while the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, or OKPOP for short, will showcase the state’s diverse contributions to the cultural landscape of the nation.

Today, the Tulsa Arts District is home to some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants, such as Amelia’s, Laffa Medi-Eastern Restaurant and Bar, Prhyme Steakhouse, The Tavern, Sisserou’s, and the recently relocated The French Hen, as well as the original Coney Island Hot Weiner shop, Mexicali Border Cafe, Elgin Park, and Antoinette Baking Company.

“In the pre-COVID days, it wasn’t unusual that we’d have as many as 6,000 people in the neighborhood for a First Friday,” Fleischman said. “We’re starting to see more people coming out, as restrictions are starting to lift. And once the performance venues can get back up to speed, we’ll start seeing more people coming into the area.”

Prigmore said much of the credit for the success of the district belongs to two men.

“I think the city owes a huge debt of gratitude to David Sharp, because of all he has done to preserve these old buildings,” she said.

“The other is George Kaiser,” she said. “The Guthrie Green alone was a huge boost to the area.”

TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE

Donna Prigmore prepares to glaze a plate at her studio.

JOHN CLANTON, TULSA WORLD People gather on the Guthrie Green on May 7 for the First Friday Art Crawl, which happened to take place during Mayfest.

COURTESY, SILVER DOLLAR CITY Silver Dollar City’s 1880s-style theme park is internationally awarded for excellence and is the reigning No. 1 amusement park in America as voted in a national poll, with a demonstrating crafts colony 100-strong.

Silver Dollar City

COURTESY, SILVER DOLLAR CITY The $23 million river rafting adventure, Mystic River Falls, is the gem of the new area.

It’s time to get out and go

With summer ahead, Silver Dollar City Attractions in Branson, Missouri — just a three-to-four-hour drive from Tulsa — offers a family getaway full of adventure.

Now celebrating a 60th Diamond Jubilee, “The City” offers 40 rides and attractions, a resident crafts colony 100-strong, nine world-class festivals or events and awardwinning home-style foods.

Ozark history and legacy come to life in the new Rivertown with a $23 million river rafting adventure, Mystic River Falls — the tallest drop of a water raft ride in the Western Hemisphere, themed after a mysterious river found in The City’s massive Marvel Cave. Other highlights are the new Rivertown Smokehouse and a new cinnamon bread bakery. Guests can eat their way through the park with the just-introduced Tasting Passports — sample everything from BBQ to specialties created by the park’s culinary team.

For your thrill seekers, the roller coasters don’t disappoint, including the fastest, tallest, steepest spinning

COURTESY, SILVER DOLLAR CITY Some of the park’s world footprint roller coasters soar over the Ozark Mountainscape.

COURTESY, SILVER DOLLAR CITY White Water features 2 million gallons of fun and 13 acres of water rides, slides and waves.

roller coaster in the world, Time Traveler, and the wood coaster, Outlaw Run, known for a massive drop and a double barrel roll finale. For more information, go to silverdollarcity.com

And what could be better than a relaxing ride on Showboat Branson Belle? Enjoy a four-deck reimagining of an authentic 1880s paddle wheeler of yesteryear, celebrating a quartercentury on Table Rock Lake. The Showboat Branson Belle offers noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. cruises.

Passengers can explore scenic decks, enjoy award-winning magician Christopher James and a high-energy variety show. Each cruise offers a three-course meal prepared in the Ship’s Galley. Premium seating with a chef-crafted menu is also available. For more, go to showboatbransonbelle.com

For the water park lovers in your family, White Water features 2 million gallons of fun and 13 acres of water rides, slides and waves. Enjoy the high tide of the 500,000-gallon Surf’s Up Wave Pool, float your cares away on the Aloha River or splash with little ones in Coconut Cove. For high thrills, take a 70-degree, 40-foot plunge at a screaming 26 feet per second on KaPau Plummet or brave the side-by-side freefall drop slides at Kalani Towers.

Silver Dollar City Contest

Silver Dollar City is celebrating a 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee with a contest that could bring your family to the 1880s-style theme park in the Ozarks to make memories that will last a lifetime.

For a chance at winning the Silver Dollar City 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Family Adventure Prize Package valued at more than $1,500, send us your favorite family memory of Silver Dollar City or a memory you would like to make. Include a telephone number and an email address, if you have one.

The amazing trip package includes: „ Up to six tickets to Silver Dollar City’s 1880s theme park, including lunch and front-of-the-line passes „ Up to six tickets to White Water’s 2 mil-

lion gallons of fun and 13 acres of water slides, rides and waves or another seasonal attraction „ A Showboat Branson Belle cruise for up to six with three-course meal, panoramic views of Table Rock Lake and highenergy show „ One family-sized cabin for two nights at the Silver Dollar City Campground or comparable lodging

The deadline for contest entries is July 25. Send your story to Attn: Nicole Marshall Middleton, P.O. Box 1770, Tulsa, OK, 74102 or email them to scene@tulsaworld.com. Winners will be announced in the Aug. 8 edition of the Tulsa World Scene section.

On the Showboat Branson Belle, enjoy a four-deck reimagining of an authentic 1880s paddle wheeler of yesteryear, celebrating a quarter-century on Table Rock Lake.