The “Lives on the Line” project, headed by Yielbonzie Johnson, seeks to create and map out memory sites in Greenwood. The 1314 N. Greenwood Ave. location will consist of various custom-made artworks addressing the 1921 Tulsa massacre, Black Wall Street, and symbols of resistance. A procession will also take place during the reception inviting the public and local businesses to create their own memory sites as a way to illuminate “the section line,” a once-thriving business district of Greenwood.

With a master’s degree in divinity, Yielbonzie Johnson, an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, organized the Church of the Restoration, where he will present his project. A native of Tulsa, Johnson was born at the Moton Memorial Hospital a few blocks away. 

For more than 30 years, Johnson worked in a variety of contexts and cities organizing and teaching worship arts and promoting art as an essential component of healthy and liberating communities. In 2013, he retired from active ministry and returned to Tulsa, devoting himself to his artistic practice which includes photography, mixed media visual art, and 3-D art in clay and wood. Guided by immersion in African Traditional Religion, he seeks through word and image to make the invisible visible and tangible. 

Featured Artist: Yielbonzie Johnson