Memoir Gives History of the Tulsa Arts District

Before the shops, galleries, restaurants, museums and bars in the Tulsa Arts District opened. Before hundreds of visitors streamed through the streets on First Friday Art Crawls, the Tulsa Arts District was nothing more than an area of dilapidated brick buildings and the vision of a handful of creatives searching for community. Artist Steve Liggett was one of those visionaries who worked to establish a place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to create uncensored, contemporary art. His newly released memoir, Sketchbook Diaries: Making a Place for Uncensored Art in Conservative Oklahoma by Steve Liggett with Shirley Elliot, traces his almost 50-year career as an artist and as one of the pioneers of what is now the Tulsa Arts District.

Throughout his life, Liggett kept sketchbooks, journals and scrapbooks, totaling over 120, that document his artistic journey, his relationships and his place in the Tulsa arts community. Shirley Elliott helped Liggett organize the many journal entries and images into the memoir.

“We had a history in my family of people disagreeing about things, and I always worry about my own memory. Are we leaving anything behind where people are going to be knowledgeable about what we did? The journals document the early pioneers of the Arts District,” Liggett said. “I wanted to leave a record during my lifetime.”

Establishing Living Arts of Tulsa

One of Liggett’s most lasting contributions is Living Arts of Tulsa. After moving to seven different locations and battling leaky roofs, squirrels eating through electrical lines and questionable plumbing, the current Living Arts building, located at 307 Reconciliation Way, is the final rendition of what was a years’ long battle to find a permanent home. Liggett was artistic director of Living Arts of Tulsa for 26 years, 15 of which he worked without a salary. During that time, he established Living Arts as a nationally recognized center for contemporary art, garnering the attention of the Andy Warhol Foundation.

“The (Andy Warhol) foundation called me one day,” Liggett said. “They said that they had talked to people in Oklahoma who told them that we were doing the most progressive art. They came to visit and invited us to apply for a grant. We were awarded $50,000.”

With the large grant, Liggett was able to expand his multi-disciplinary New Genre Festival, attracting participants from across the U.S. and bringing in acclaimed talent such as Meredith Monk.

The Philosophy of Allowing

Maybe one of Liggett’s most lasting legacies was using his progressive, permission-giving approach to art in teaching children and youth. He calls it “the philosophy of allowing.” With the support of The Arts Council of Oklahoma, Liggett taught workshops in Tulsa Public Schools and created Art Corps workshops at Living Arts. Liggett said that most traditional art classes begin with technique. His goal was to free students to explore, to expand their imaginations, and to encourage creative problem-solving, which he says was the basis of the Living Arts program.

“We would go into schools and dump four or five big boxes of materials in the middle of the floor and ask kids to explore some of these objects,” he said. “There was no technique involved. The first couple of times, the kids didn’t know what to do because they were used to pleasing the teacher or getting a grade. By the third day, the kids were making the most incredible things.”

The classes, workshops and camps he established at Living Arts of Tulsa were an expanded version of the public-school visits.

“I expected the kids to learn video, performance art, new music and installation skills to combine into an interdisciplinary art project,” he said. “I have students coming back to me and saying that it was so freeing and so great. Some became professional artists.”

Looking Back and to the Future

Liggett now owns an art gallery and studio in the Arts District. He’s concerned about the lack of space for artists in Tulsa and hopes to continue his vision of supporting innovative local talent.

Reflecting on the district’s growth led Liggett to go back to the sketchbooks and journals – the pictures, words and mementos give a portrait of the artist, as well as a history of a time in Tulsa. Beyond that, Liggett’s memoir provides inspiration to artists and others who want to maintain a thriving, living, uncensored arts community in Tulsa today.

“It felt great looking back at it all,” Liggett said.

To order a copy of Sketchbook Diaries: Making a Place for Uncensored Art in Conservative Oklahoma, go to liggettstudio.com.

 Betty Casey is the associate publisher and editor in chief of TulsaKids Magazine. She has been with TulsaKids over 20 years.