The ArtWraps Program is a public art initiative by Downtown Tulsa Partnership that brings beauty and expression to everyday city infrastructure. In an effort to enhance the Deco District with vibrant, functional art, we wrapped 25 new enclosed trash cans with bold, original designs created by Tulsa-area artists. This project was born from a call for local creatives to submit designs that reflect our city's culture, personality, and visual energy.
After a competitive selection process, five artists, Jayna Ayres, Allison Tanenhaus, Carly Treece, Nicholas Santistevan, and Hayley Nichols, were chosen to bring their concepts to life, each receiving a stipend to develop and deliver custom vinyl wrap graphics.
Now fully installed throughout the Deco District, these eye-catching pieces of public art include everything from bright blooms and whimsical Deco cats to Indigenous-inspired paintings, bold modern graphics, and conceptual storytelling through found objects and shared experiences.
Learn more about the five selected artists and the inspiration behind their designs below. 👇
Artist Descriptions
Jayna Ayres – “In Bloom”
About the Art
"In Bloom" is a series that explores maximalist pattern design, reminiscent of the richness found in wallpaper and tapestry. My intention is to invite viewers to stop and enjoy these patterns for what they are, much like one would appreciate a blooming garden, a thoughtfully arranged floral display, or a beautiful wallpaper adorning the walls of a beloved home. There is no deeper meaning behind the designs; the focus is on the joy of aesthetics.
About the Artist
Jayna is a web designer by day and an illustrator/muralist by night. After struggling with her artistic identity, she returned to my childhood fascination with florals. Growing up in Northwest Oklahoma, surrounded by the nurturing influence of a mother who was an avid gardener and a father who was a farmer, she has always been drawn to vibrant colors and botanical forms.
Her work reflects this inspiration and has been showcased in publications such as the Curbside Chronicle, 405 Magazine, and Edible OKC. This year, she proudly completed her third public mural and continues to sell prints and textiles at a local gallery in Oklahoma City. Through her art, she hopes to evoke a sense of beauty and appreciation for the world around us, encouraging others to find joy in the simple pleasures of life.
Allison & Jeffrey Tanenhaus – “Deco Cats”
About the Art
The Deco District is celebrated for its landmark architecture, particularly Zigzag Moderne from the late ’20s, when geometric patterns, stylized forms of plants and animals, and vibrant colors were popular, in an opulent era when Tulsa was becoming the “Oil Capital of the World.”
Nowadays, downtown’s business core is home to an increasing number of residents and their domesticated feline companions. In addition, hidden among the standout architecture are street cats living in alley shadows and storm sewers.
“Deco Cats” unites these feline themes with geometric designs in a nod to downtown’s architectural heritage and cat-loving population.
Process-wise, the designs (unique on each side of every bin…try and spot them all!) incorporate stenciling. The handcrafted practice is common in both Art Deco history (for replicating wallpaper patterns) and in street art (where Allison’s practice began). Further, the antique textures and tiles for this project were rendered with modern tech tools, then hand-placed via digital collage techniques, uniting vintage and contemporary sensibilities. The resulting juxtaposition showcases Art Deco–inspired mosaics with fresh kaleidoscopic twists—and colorfully inviting cat faces for all to enjoy.
About the Artists
As siblings, Jeffrey and Allison Tanenhaus often collaborate creatively. Here in Tulsa, you can spot the logos that Allison designed for her brother’s company Tulsa Tours and the Oil Capital Pop-Up Museum he curates.
Tulsa-based Jeffrey is a connoisseur of local architecture, which he shares on Art Deco walking tours that have become a highlight for visitors and locals alike. His storefront—featuring vintage Tulsa memorabilia—is nestled in the Philcade Building, along with the Oil Capital Pop-Up Museum, which he designed and curates. On tours, the Philcade and Pythian buildings are guest favorites; both feature geometric indigenous designs that link Tulsa’s Native history with the Art Deco movement.
Boston-based Allison is a digital artist, with a focus on vibrant public art installations. She specializes in bold geometric art, vintage influences—and cats. Source material consists of original photos, archival imagery, and crowdsourced media, which she reconfigures using smartphone apps and software.
Allison’s work has been showcased in 26 countries via exhibitions, festivals, performances, and public art. Highlights include the ICA Store at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Boston Museum of Science Planetarium, “Empowered Women Empower Women” curated by Paris Hilton, and her traveling shows “GlitchKraft” and “Haus Party.”
Carly Treece
“Fancy Shawl Dancer”
This 9×12 piece, crafted with oil, cold wax, and multimedia on paper, captures the elegance and dynamism of a fancy shawl dancer at a pow-wow. Treece emphasizes the movement and grace inherent in the dance, incorporating inscriptions at the bottom of the artwork—a technique prevalent among cold wax artists. These inscriptions serve as prayers for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR). The red shawl in the painting symbolizes these lost loved ones, adding a layer of poignant significance to the piece.
“Sharing a Blanket Under the Harvest Moon”
This oil painting painting portrays three women enveloped in a shared blanket beneath the luminous harvest moon. Treece drew inspiration from her bond with her own sisters, highlighting themes of love and protection with the moon bringing them together in a circle. The glowing aura surrounding the figures accentuates their unity, while the distinctive cloud formations pay homage to artist T.C. Cannon. Notably, this painting was featured in FX’s award-winning series “Reservation Dogs,” specifically in Season 3, Episode 7, titled “Wahoo!
“Buffalo on the Prairie”
This piece blends oil, cold wax, and multimedia to capture the enduring spirit of the American landscape. The piece depicts a buffalo set against an expansive sky where vibrant yellow clouds drift over a blue hue. Drawing inspiration from the rare and endangered Tallgrass Prairie north of Tulsa, the artwork celebrates not only the natural beauty of this unique ecosystem but also the pivotal role the buffalo plays within it, showing the tranquility and the wild, untamed energy of the prairie. In this work, the buffalo stands as a timeless symbol of resilience and the urgent need to protect one of the world’s most fragile natural habitats.
Praising Oskē (Rain)
In this oil and cold wax painting, the artist transforms a simple sky into a realm of spiritual reflection. The canvas features a serene blue backdrop punctuated by soft pink clouds—each rendered with bold palette knife strokes that give the clouds a rich, tactile texture. This technique not only captures the ethereal quality of drifting clouds but also echoes the raw, natural beauty of rain itself. This piece was inspired by Joy Harjo’s poem, “Praise the Rain”.
About the Artist:
Carly Treece, a citizen of the Mvskoke Nation with Cherokee ancestry, is a multidisciplinary artist whose work deeply reflects her Indigenous heritage and personal experiences. Her art often explores themes of community, resilience, and cultural identity, utilizing mediums such as oil and cold wax to convey profound narratives. Treece’s artistry not only celebrates Indigenous culture but also serves as a medium for advocacy and storytelling, resonating deeply within and beyond her community. You can see more of Treece’s work at www.TvlseStudios.com
Nicholas Santistevan - “Espirit De Corps”
Community extends beyond our relationships from a human perspective. Environment is an integral part of community, man-made as well as what occurred here long before we poured seas of concrete and towers that scrape the sky. Environment shapes what we choose to symbolize us as a community, where we choose to set up our concrete seas, and also what gives us the ability to sustain our way of life. My goal with this piece is to bring to attention the coexistence of our community and the ecosystems that gave us the means to establish this beautiful city.
About the Artist:
Nicholas Joel Santistevan is an Illustrator & Graphic Designer working in the Tulsa area for clients local and nationwide. Drawing inspiration from fatherhood and conservation, the body of his work primarily consists of symbolism bringing to attention the need for biodiversity support through use of native plants. While constantly taking on new freelance clients big and small, as well as personal projects, Nicholas is Creative Director at Mythic Press, a prominent area screen printer and merchandising partner. "Incorporating native plants on my property as support to wildlife has nourished me as a flower’s nectar nourishes the insect that visits it—as I intend my work to nourish your inspiration & appreciation of our local ecosystems & community."
Hayley Nichols - "Trash on Trash Cans"
Trash on Trash Cans is a five-part series by Hayley Nichols that draws from castoffs of everyday life—items that didn’t quite make it into the bin. Each design features imagery and textures sourced from two of the artist’s ongoing practices: The Napkin Project, a series of monotype prints made from napkins used during shared meals, and a photographic collaboration with New York-based designer Bobby Jefferies, documenting objects abandoned on sidewalks. The work turns attention to what we tend to overlook—used napkins, bits of debris, the slow wear of daily life—and repositions these materials as sites of memory and mark-making. It lingers in the space between beauty and disposability, tracing the subtle ways we move through and leave imprints on public space. Wrapped around the very objects meant to contain them, these images offer a strange, poetic encounter with what we throw away—not a tidy conclusion, but a gentle interruption. Part archive, part visual joke, part act of attention, the series reflects on what we leave behind and what it might still have to say.
About the Artist:
Hayley Nichols is an artist and designer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her practice centers on the marks, movements, and sounds that emerge from daily habits and rituals. She is drawn to the unintentional traces left by unconscious gestures, the gradual wear on objects, and the overlooked ephemera of the everyday. Working across mediums including drawing, photography, ceramics, sound and conceptual intervention, Nichols creates work that invites a nuanced engagement with the world around us.
She holds a BFA in Graphic Design and Studio Art from Oklahoma State University. After a decade of living and working in New York, where her fascination with detritus took root, she returned to Tulsa, where her practice continues to be shaped by the textures of her surroundings. Her work has been exhibited at 108 Contemporary, Tulsa Artist Fellowship's Flagship space, The Invisible Dog Art Center, as well as in experimental and artist-run spaces across Oklahoma and New York. You can find her picking up trash in Tulsa's Sobo neighborhood.