Tulsa receives national attention for art painted on wood used to protect businesses before rally

TULSA, Okla. — Downtown Tulsa has received national recognition for a temporary public art project.

Project Hope Unity Compassion was awarded the Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence at the International Downtown Association conference last week.

The art was installed by the Tulsa Downtown Coordinating Council in June 2020. The project ran through Jan. 2021.

Project Hope Unity Compassion was one of 24 entries in the competition.

The art was painted on plywood used to protect businesses before a presidential campaign rally. More than 300 artists painted the plywood, which was removed from businesses following the rally and then preserved.

“Throughout history, downtowns and town squares have served as the foundation of society’s freedom of expression and discourse, and this effort sought to highlight the resilience of Downtown and our community during an historic event,” said Brian Kurtz, President and CEO of Downtown Tulsa Partnership and former executive director of Downtown Coordinating Council. “On behalf of Downtown Tulsa Partnership board and stakeholders, I express immense gratitude to our partner organizations and artists who made this effort possible in such a short timeline, and to our peer jurors around the nation for recognizing the importance of public art in community conversations.”

1 of 5