Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail Taking Shape in Tulsa
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A series of public artworks taking shape in Tulsa will honor the history of the city's Greenwood District. Led by the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail will feature six dynamic, large-scale artworks in various mediums installed on highly trafficked underpasses of Interstate 244. The underpasses are important points of connection between north Tulsa and the surrounding areas, including Black Wall Street near downtown. The artwork for each underpass will focus on different themes of relevance to their specific streets, with all content being tied to the people and history of Greenwood.
Administered by the Oklahoma Arts Council's Art in Public Places program through a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, projects are scheduled to begin installation in summer 2024. Fabrication of the artworks is currently under way, with six artist teams creating the works after competing through a nationwide call. Artist proposals for the six projects were selected by a site committee that included stakeholders from the community. Final approval for the projects was given by the Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail Oversight Committee.
In the development of the artwork content, artists are required to include significant community engagement, which may include community forums and listening sessions, research through historical archives, workshops, and more. Michelle Burdex, Programs Director of the Greenwood Cultural Center, is serving as a liaison for the artist teams as they facilitate their community engagement. Learn more about each project below.
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Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail Projects
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Main Street
Theme: Creativity
Artist: Wesley Clark Art
Reflecting the area's history as a hub of creativity—with Main Street home to Cain's Ballroom and the forthcoming OKPOP museum, this underpass will feature painted steel panel murals featuring depictions of the symbolic Sankofa bird, Booker T. Washington High School Marching Band, Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band, The Oklahoma Eagle newspaper, thriving families, a barber shop scene, and more.
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Boston Avenue
Theme: Resilience
Artist: Helen Juliet Atkins
Conveying the resilience of the people of Greenwood who have endured and rebuilt through unthinkable challenges and are now reviving the district, this underpass will feature steel figurative plasma cutouts modeled from candid snapshot photographs of real people connected to Greenwood combined with decorative mosaic tiles inspired by vintage lace.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Theme: Vision
Artists: Joel Daniel Phillips and Alexander Tamahn
Situated on a high point with a wide overlook of Tulsa, this underpass offers opportunity to create artwork that connects to the vision of the original developers of the Greenwood District. This commission features portraits of 16 Tulsa visionaries, painted, enlarged and printed on vinyl wrapped steel portraits. Each will be accompanied by a QR code leading to audio biographies of the visionary individuals.
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| Detroit Avenue
Theme: Justice
Artists: RE:site Studio
With 2021 marking the passing of 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre, the artwork for this underpass includes four digital mosaic-style murals that convey a future in restorative justice. The work is inspired by the form of a mosaic created from broken pieces, honoring Black Tulsans who continually rebuilt their community in the face of discrimination and violence.
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Elgin Avenue
Theme: Hope
Artists: Marlon Hall and Gordon Huether
With the Pathway to Hope crossing Elgin Avenue, the public art for the underpass will speak to the hope of reconciliation. It will feature a multi-sensory installation consisting of an assemblage of images and sound, art and stories, and color and light. Twenty portraits, LED lights, wooden doors, and QR codes will tell the stories, experiences, and hopes of community members.
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Greenwood Avenue
Theme: Remembrance
Artists: Joe O'Connell and Anneliese Bruner
With Greenwood Avenue the site of historic Black Wall Street—a casualty of the Tulsa Race Massacre—this work evokes the importance of remembrance using four suspended bronze teardrop-shaped sculptures featuring laser cut imagery and text that will be illuminated onto the underpass walls below. Imagery and text will be inspired by the stories handed down by those who experienced the Tulsa Race Massacre.
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Artworks for the Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail were reviewed and commissioned in close consultation with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to ensure strict adherence to public safety standards.
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Look for updates on the progress of Pathway to Hope Public Art Trail projects from the Oklahoma Arts Council in the coming months.
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About Oklahoma Art in Public Places
The Oklahoma Art in Public Places program was established by state leaders in 2004 to advance state economic development goals and enhance public spaces.
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