Tulsa Art Project In Greenwood District Awarded $1 Million

www.tulsaworld.com

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a $1 million gift to The Greenwood Art Project in Tulsa.

Bloomberg, a potential candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, joined Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum on Tuesday in announcing the gift from the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2018 Public Art Challenge.

The Greenwood project will be a group of temporary public artworks commemorating an area of Tulsa known as Black Wall Street. It was largely destroyed during deadly racial violence in 1921. Estimates of the number of dead vary widely, from about three dozen to 300 or more.

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission is a partner in the project.

Tulsa’s public art proposal is called “Reclaiming History through Public Art: Greenwood Art Project.” Rick Lowe will lead a team of artists in creating a project that celebrates the Black Wall Street neighborhood and helps visitors understand its rich history.

“As the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre approaches, we want to partner with community stakeholders and engaged citizens to tell the story of Black Wall Street,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a news release in July, when Tulsa was announced a finalist for the grant.

“As a reminder of the dangers of hatred, the power of resilience, and the importance of reconciliation, it is a story that needs to be known far beyond the reaches of Tulsa.”

City of Tulsa officials are planning a Thursday news conference about the announcement.