/Meta-Narrative/

: a narrative about historical meaning, experience, or knowledge, which offers a narrative that runs underneath an existing story.

This is a way to shed light on history with the flashlight of a short fictional happening that is rooted in a larger truth. We went to an old plantation right outside of Tulsa to tell a story that runs underneath the work of the Greenwood Art Project.

Documentaries ///

On May 26th The Greenwood Art Project welcomed the city of Tulsa out to the Admiral Twin for a time to view documentaries of projects that would not have had as much exposure due to COVID restrictions and limitations. Published on Juneteenth weekend, this collection of mini-documentaries features Greenwood Art Project artists and filmmakers who explore the meaning of freedom made present in the ongoing work GAP does to heal a city in the wake of the traumatic 1921 Massacre in Tulsa.

Porches featuring Deborah Hunter

With her original play, Porches, Deborah J. Hunter moves audiences through a time period spanning from the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre through the Civil Rights Movement. Although the show has both male and female characters, Porches features an all-female cast. Hunter centers on the experiences of Black women who were neither wealthy nor high in social status.

Through the use of vignettes set in actual neighborhood porches located within the Greenwood District, the performance will fuse dance, video, music, and poetry to explore themes of resilience, community pride, and Black sisterhood.

Darktown Strutter's Ball

Theatre North's Darktown Strutter’s Ball, a Greenwood Art Project, is a gala with music, dance, and food commemorating the 1921 good times. Theatre North's Darktown Strutter's Ball is a Greenwood Art Project, which examines the history of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with the world. The Project's goal is to support artwork that speaks to Greenwood's history, tragedy, and triumph.

Darktown Strutters’ Ball reflects the period leading up to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in language, costume, design, setting, music, and dance. It shows an aspect of how we imagine our forbearers lived in the Greenwood District. Back then, African-American residents held service jobs.

Century Walk

L. Joi McCondichie invites all persons of every background to join with her in A Century Walk: 100 Years, 1921-202. With deep consideration and reflection, McCondichie selected this path because it is the same one her own grandmother once used to flee the destruction of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

This community walk will retrace the steps, imagining what those hours must have felt like for fathers and mothers, aunties and uncles, boys and girls as they fled from their burning homes and businesses.

Ah_SeneK (A Snack)

Ah_SeneK (A Snack) is a restorative justice initiative that teaches children the history of Greenwood while learning to prepare a healthy snack. Chef Kenesha Daniels will guide children ages 7 to 11 in learning how vitamins build muscles, how cooking is a form of expression, and how eating can present opportunities to honor diverse cultures. Daniels will co-host this show with activist Chief Egunwale Fagbenro Amusan, who will help the children examine how hate stunts human progress.

American Dream: A Visual Poem with Sarah Ahmad

Through her installation, The American Dream, Sarah Ahmad creates an unexpected sanctuary, space where visitors might be moved to seek solace and renewal, to heal from generations of pain and trauma. At the center of her work, Ahmad has constructed a simple canvas tent that she modeled after those that were quickly constructed as an emergency shelter after the 1921 Race Massacre, as well as those that the artist saw while growing up in Lahore, Pakistan.

Marigolds cover the structure, their fragrance, and color working together in creating a peaceful idyll, albeit one of the symbolic associations.

A Visual Poem for TheRese Aduni

The Greenwood Art Project highlights the work and lives of our artists as a sonnet of love and empowerment. Our first is made to honor the life and love of filmmaker, playwright, and dancer TheRese Aduni. We listened to this Tulsa native share the story of how depression and loss turned into resurrection and hope.

The Honoring

"The Honoring” sheds light on history with the flashlight of a short fictional happening that is rooted in a larger truth. We went to an old plantation right outside of Tulsa to tell a story that runs underneath the work of the GAP.