Greenwood Rising
Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma
* The following images contain sensitive material and images.
Greenwood Rising speaks to the dignity of the people who turned trials, tribulations, and tragedy into a triumph. The overarching theme for Greenwood Rising is “The Human Spirit”. This state-of-the-art history center is the legacy project of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission. The Commission began in 2015 dedicated to a vision of a stronger and more just Tulsa. The Centennial Commission reached out and included key Greenwood District organizations to outline projects which would commemorate history, tell the whole Greenwood story and create opportunities in Tulsa.
The Greenwood Rising experience brings to life the memories of the past and the visions of success for the future and catalyzes important dialogue around racial reconciliation and restorative justice.
Client: Tulsa Centennial Commission
Role: Visual Experience Designer
Local Projects Team: Andrea Worby, McKenna Cole, Jenny Wong, Siavash Khasha, Anthony Roy, Loyalkaspar, Keeli Shaw, Jake Barton, L'Rai Arthur-Mensah
Winner of Fast Company’s 2021 Innovation by Design Award Best Design of 2021 in North America, named one of New York Times Best Art Exhibitions of 2021, USA TODAY’S 10 Best New Attractions of 2021
Press: New York Times, Forbes, Fast Company, USA TODAY, NYT Best Art Exhibitions
“Museums are valuable to the extent they link the past to the present and illuminate, and appraise, both. In Greenwood Rising the links are made overt and we’re urged to ponder them, to recognize that the white-on-Black violence of 1921 is still with us, and that Black disenfranchisement, like racism, remains entrenched.”
–Holland Cotter, The New York Times
Viewports
Upon entering Greenwood Rising’s lobby, visitors peer through windows into the district’s past that morph into contemporary views of the same place, evoking critical thought about progress in the community.
Intro Film
This media piece welcomes visitors to the Greenwood District, a community whose history as a Black business mecca and the site of racial violence is matched by its resilience and strength. Featuring Maya Angelou’s iconic poem Still I Rise, and created by Tulsa-based filmmaker Trey Thaxton, the film features Greenwood community members and business owners, juxtaposing past and present stories of success and hope.
Greenwood Spirit
This section explores the early placemaking of Greenwood — how and why the African American community came to this place, the struggles they faced, and the ways in which they succeeded in building this vibrant and wealthy community, even in the face of systemic racial oppression.
Life in Greenwood,
TC’s Barbershop
A period barbershop comes to life with holographic barbers who engage the visitors with the hopes, dreams, and activity of folks in early Greenwood. Barbers relay stories of past customers and their businesses, explaining the history of Greenwood and instilling community values into the visitor as reflected in the oral histories of hard work and success.
Arc of Oppression + Emotional Exit
The Arc of Oppression section begins with a content warning that supports visitors with information around recognizing triggers and coping with historical racial trauma. Visitors may enter an “emotional exit” corridor that bypasses potentially triggering content while providing key historical information, or progress into the Systems of Anti-Blackness space.
Systems of Anti-Blacknes
Visitors enter a timeline of racial violence organized around the social, economic, and political systems of anti-Blackness in America. Key features include artifacts of control and violence like slave shackles and a robe from the domestic terrorist organization, the Ku Klux Klan.
1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
This exhibit brings to life the horrors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, immersing visitors in the minute-by-minute accounts from survivors and memories from descendants. Told from the perspective of survivors, the humanity and despair frames the photographs of crumbling businesses and burning homes that witnessed the destruction of a thriving African American community. First person accounts taken from interviews with survivors like Eddie Faye Gates weave together the black experience of the Massacre.
The back sides of the projection surfaces offer insight into experiences of different community members like the African Blood Brotherhood and white witnesses.
Immediate Aftermath & Rebuilding
A band that wraps the back of the Massacre space hold stories, images, and artifacts relating to the immediate Aftermath & Rebuilding efforts, and highlights notable Survivors & Rebuilders
Changing Fortunes
80 years of history are covered in this gallery. A split-screen graphic contrasts a Greenwood District street view during its heyday with photos from after Urban Renewal, framing the theme of the district’s Changing Fortunes. A bold, interpretive installation of Greenwood business signs anchors the exhibit space. The installation profiles key community members while flickering lights and various states of (dis)repair reference the ebbs and flows of economic success following the Massacre. Key moments in Greenwood’s history after the Massacre show how the community succeeded but also struggled to live through its legacy of historical racial trauma. Stories push and pull out from the wall, showing the constant duality of experiences.
Journey to Reconciliation: Dialogue Space
Greenwood Rising’s final space focuses on restorative justice and contemporary issues of anti-Blackness. Flexible media and graphics inform an environment designed for dialogue and ongoing personal and community work.
Commitment Installation
Visitors end their journey by making a personal and actionable commitment toward racial reconciliation. An LED brick activates upon submission, adding visitors’ voices to the community wall of past commitments, which extends into a display of grassroots donor plaques.
