The Need

As Tulsa begins to move forward after the centennial commemorating the tragedy that is the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, it’s important to display how this city is moving forward as an inclusive space that honors the diversity of its community members.

This display of diversity can be shown in a multitude of ways but one way that is most relevant for this moment is how it displays the culture of its citizens. The vehicle with the greatest impact is the arts. Creatives have a way of creating belonging within a city as most either have an appreciation for the arts or hold some level of creativity in their own lives. The challenge creative’s face is finding the opportunities to share their stories, experiences, visuals that do not match the majority. The lack of opportunities and devaluation of the arts in general but even more substantially for BIPOC creatives leave a community where a great deal of the population are denied the opportunity to truly see themselves integrated into the fabric of the community therefore reducing the sense of belonging. This lack of belonging leads to both the creative and locals finding their belonging in other cities and states, significantly impacting the community’s economic structure.