Tulsa Mayfest is coming up this weekend! We're feeling nostalgic about Mayfest this year and put together a retrospective of the many arts projects we've completed at Mayfest over the years. Fundraisers, creative collaborations, jewelry showcases and social arts projects, we have a colorful history with our local festival, including BEST IN SHOW.
We have had booths at many festivals across the nation - but we've felt more freedom to explore our social arts practice at our hometown arts festival.
2018 Mayfest
Our first booth at Mayfest was in 2018 in which we created an installation; a throne with a crown for live models to don throughout the day. My expression through jewelry is ultimately about empowerment and it was an opportunity for me to highlight the power of female energy. We took over 100 women's photo's on the throne wearing our crown. I'm still incredibly proud of the space we created and shared with women over the weekend.
See my interview here at Mayfest 2018 discussing the throne installation.
At Mayfest in 2019 we created a Yoni Collection, did a large collaborative photo shoot in the Great Salt Plains of Oklahoma and installed an exhibit at Mayfest to raise money for Take Control Initiative; an educational nonprofit that empowers women and families with choice and access. Yoni is the Sanskrit word for womb. We honored women's bodies with the new collection and embraced loving every bit of ourselves; inside, along the edges, all the curves, valleys, sparkles and shadows.
We were thrilled to raise $2,500 for Take Control Initiative with the "yoni" collection and honored to win Best in Show. Artist Lydia Cheshewalla helped us create the floral installation.
2021 Mayfest
2021 marked the Centennial of Tulsa's Race Massacre in the Greenwood District where part of Mayfest was held. I created the Black Diamond Collection to honor black resilience and forward progress. 100% of the proceeds from that collection went to Black Moon, which is a collective of black Tulsa artists whose mission is to cultivate creativity, educate and bring hope to neglected parts of the community, by making art accessible and viewable to all. We raised $3,000 for Black Moon.
“Art is a really beautiful medium to have those difficult conversations and to process trauma. I think that we as a city are processing our history and how we move forward. Art is just a beautiful vehicle for that to happen,” said Dillon Rose founder, Rachel Rose Dazey.
"This is my small but meaningful contribution to the much bigger social problem of racism and inequality in America. Often when discussing reparations, we think about big government-led initiatives. I find it more intriguing to identify what I, as an individual, can do in the community without waiting on larger institutions beleaguered by politics. How can I build trust and community? How do we talk openly and honestly about difficult histories? How do we work toward healing? Art is an effective medium in which to creatively explore solutions to the long standing problem of inequality. Acknowledging that we are inhabiting the land of Historic Black Wall Street, the once thriving black business community, we are seeking to uplift the voices of Black artists working in Tulsa today.
