TULSA, Okla. — It started as an art project in the break room.

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This chalk mural done by Anna Puhl inspired the event (Ben Morgan)

“There happens to be an employee in my building who happens to do these great murals in our break room,” said Heather Anderson, Strategic Marketing Manager for the Cox Business Convention Center. “They do great mural chalk art and I thought, ‘That’s so easy and so playful, and what a great way to just celebrate the day. Celebrate the day as a community and get all of our downtown business involved.’”

That sparked the idea for ‘Chalk about Tulsa.’

In celebration of World Art Day, Cox Business Convention Center and BOK Center, both ASM Global venues in Tulsa, OK, have teamed up with Downtown Tulsa Partnership to bring Chalk About Tulsa to Downtown businesses.

Downtown Tulsa Partnership is a downtown management organization that contracts with the City of Tulsa to provide services like maintenance, beautification, as well as the marketing of Downtown Tulsa.

“We’re marketing not only Downtown Tulsa partnership initiatives but also other businesses’ initiatives within Downtown Tulsa,” said Morgan Phillips, Downtown Tulsa Partnership’s Director of Marketing & Experience.

Tons of businesses have been provided boxes of chalk and are being encouraged to decorate the sidewalks of Downtown Tulsa on Friday, April 14, in advance of World Art Day on Saturday.

Anna Puhl, the Cox Business Center employee whose artwork inspired the event, says, “I’m excited to have the opportunity to do some art on a big scale and I’m excited that a lot of other people are getting involved. I was really excited that I got asked to do this project. I hope people will see my art on the sidewalk and get excited to make art or just have a more positive day.”

Phillips says she has already heard from business owners excited about the project. “We are pleased to have our Downtown Ambassadors deliver chalk to participating businesses this week in advance of this fun neighborhood activity. Chalk About Tulsa is a great example of creative collaborations between our Downtown management organization and Downtown partners like Cox Business Convention Center and BOK Center.”

Phillips expects nearly a hundred businesses downtown to take part in ‘Chalk about Tulsa.’

Participants are asked to post their art on social media using the hashtags #worldartday and #chalkabouttulsa. The team at Living Arts of Tulsa will use these hashtags to choose a winning participant to receive tickets to an upcoming event at the BOK Center.

Angie Teel, CMP, Assistant General Manager for Cox Business Convention Center says “ASM Global is committed to supporting our community. We have amazing artists in Tulsa and we are excited to show the world this new Chalk About Tulsa event.”

Organizers of Chalk About Tulsa ask that chalk art stay on the sidewalks (not the streets) and not include obscene language or images. If any businesses would like to participate and didn’t receive a chalk box or have further questions, they are encouraged to email Hello@DowntownTulsa.com.

You can hear the full interview with the organizers of ‘Chalk about Tulsa’ here: