As part of its year-long focus on the theme of memory, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities in partnership with Gilcrease Museum and the University of Tulsa History Department will explore the energizing, solemn and often contentious roles that memorials play in the civic and social life of our city.
The event will take place over two days in the Helmerich Center for American Research on Friday and the Vista Room inside Gilcrease Museum on Saturday. Both days are free and open to the public.
The event will feature lectures, panels and discussions from national experts who will challenge us to think about the role of confederate statues, the often marginal place of African American memorials in our communities and the strange absence of memorials to Tulsa’s rich indigenous histories and cultures. Speakers will include Professor Karen L. Cox from the University of North Carolina as well as representatives from the The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Veronica Pipestem, Yakita Fields (Tulsa Artist Fellow and native artist), and Myron Dewey (documentary filmmaker) will talk about memorializing Native America and re-imagining the past and future of native identity.
Participants will be urged to join us in conversation and to learn more about the art and history of public memorials.
Co-sponsored by the Mary F. Barnard Endowment of the Chapman Trust and the Department of History at the University of Tulsa.
Dates and Venue
March 29-30 at Gilcrease and HCAR
Program Outline
Friday, March 29: HCAR
7:00 pm Welcome Remarks
7:15 pm “The Confederate Monument Controversy and Why History Matters”: A Talk by Historian Karen Cox (sponsored by Mary F. Barnard Endowment of the Chapman Trust).
Saturday, March 30: Vista Room at Gilcrease Museum
10:00 am Coffee and Pastries
10:30 am Talk by Kiara Boone (Director of Education) and Gabrielle Daniels(Racial Justice Fellow), Equal Justice Initiative/National Lynching Memorial on African American memorialization
12:00 pm Ticketed Lunch Catered by Wanda J’s ($10 tickets sold at front desk)
1:00 pm Gallery talk by Ann Boulton (Associate Conservator, Gilcrease Museum).
2:30 pm Panel Discussion on Memorializing Native America with Veronica Pipestem (moderator), Yakita Fields (TAF), and Myron Dewey (Duke Center for Documentary Studies).
To learn more, visit the event page here.