Tulsa’s Artistic Underground: First Friday Art Crawl
By: Emma Zeller
On the first Friday of each month, downtown Tulsa comes alive with color, art, and most importantly, the talented people who create it. For Tulsa’s Art Crawl, countless museums and galleries offer free or reduced admission.
What started as fifty people grew into a well-known event that Tulsa has come to love. Now over three thousand people attend from 6-9pm each month, immersing themselves in Tulsa’s artistic underground, making it one of the biggest events available in Tulsa.
Tulsa Arts Coalition Gallery
The Tulsa Arts Coalition Gallery (or TAC) showcases different artists throughout the year. Currently, the ‘Reflections’ collection, by Doris Levashelf, is open for visitors to enjoy.
Levashelf has been making art her whole life, she received a bachelor at OSU in Fine Arts, and exhibited in galleries and museum shops. She’s done art shows and festivals all around the country, and is now painting at home.
Levashelf standing beside painting of her daughter
“We’re all connected as humans,” Levashelf said. “The specks in the paintings represent all the small things going on inside of us that we can’t see, but they make us up, and we make up bigger things as a whole in this planet and universe. We’re all connected.”
Ahha Museum
Ahha is one of the most popular and most visited museums in Tulsa, the first floor is the perfect place to admire the work of local artists, and the second floor is an interactive art floor, and a vivid and surreal experience. The Tulsa Arts Coalition holds the current exhibit in the first floor Ahha gallery. The exhibit is routinely changed to feature many local artists. The entrance fee is $16.75, and gains visitors access to all three floors of the establishment.
As the World Falls Down by Mery McNett (Right)
‘Imagine’
The second floor exhibit, Imagine, is an immersive artistic experience. It features incredible, interactive works for visitors to enjoy. The lead artists involved are Andy Arkley, Justice David Gutierrez, Katherine Hair, Alton Markham, Emily Simonds, and John White. Ahha is located at 101 E Archer St, Tulsa, OK 74103.
Living Arts of Tulsa
The Living Arts of Tulsa Gallery presents dozens of contemporary artists each First Friday Art Crawl. It’s current exhibit, the Champagne and Chocolate Showcase, is running until March 11th. The admission is free, and the establishment is located at 307 E. Reconciliation Way., Tulsa, OK.
“Each piece creates space and an opportunity for the viewer to expand their insight into the next person's world.” Say Co Curators, Ebony Easiley and Kode Ransom, who curated this collection with a focus on challenging the perspective of the viewers.
All in all, Tulsa’s Art Crawl is the perfect way to spend a Friday. Not only do you get an excuse to have fun downtown, but you can get involved in Tulsa’s artistic world, supporting artists and experiencing different cultures and stories through the perspective of other people.