Downtown Tulsa Partnership Celebrates One Year With 'Curbside Haiku,' Live Music
July 21, 2022 — “Curbside Haiku” is one way Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) is celebrating its first year of operations this July.
DTP, which exists to champion a prosperous, vibrant and inclusive Downtown Tulsa, provides comprehensive maintenance, beautification and hospitality services through its Downtown Ambassador team, in addition to Downtown marketing and business support services.
“Curbside Haiku,” a temporary public art project created in partnership with Magic City Books and local artist May Yang, celebrates Downtown’s vibrancy and inclusivity. After a call to the public to submit short poems about Downtown, 10 entries were selected and are featured on art boards placed in tree and planter beds throughout Downtown. “Curbside Haiku,” which has been approved by the Arts Commission of the City of Tulsa, is expected to remain in place for the next month. A map of “Curbside Haiku” locations can be found here.
To continue its celebration, DTP is also hosting local musicians in Bartlett Square at East Fifth and South Main streets from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays in July. The remaining performance is Papillon Parisien Cafe Musique, a local duo known for their light-hearted French melodies, on July 26. More information can be found on the Downtown Tulsa website.
DTP has recently expanded its staff to increase organizational capacity for marketing and events, public realm planning and improvements, community engagement, public arts initiatives, and support for Downtown entrepreneurs and business owners.
Kirsten Dominguez will join DTP on July 25 as Digital Content & Experience Coordinator. Utilizing her skills in writing, social media and digital production, Dominguez will help execute DTP’s marketing strategy. Emily Scott will join the organization on Aug. 1 as Director of Planning & Vitality. Scott joins DTP from the Tulsa Planning Office, most recently serving as a neighborhood revitalization planner overseeing the Vibrant Neighborhoods Partnership program.
Brian Kurtz, President and CEO of Downtown Tulsa Partnership, called Scott’s new role overseeing and directing DTP planning and economic vitality initiatives “critical to Downtown’s success as a destination for those who choose to live, work and visit this neighborhood and to Downtown’s role as an economic generator for the entire region.”
“Downtown is the heart of our great city, and I am humbled to be selected to shape the efforts toward innovative mobility, diverse development and inclusive economic opportunity that can make our Downtown thrive,” Scott said. “I have witnessed the great work of Downtown Tulsa Partnership as a former Downtown resident and long-term Downtown employee, and I look forward to supporting the continued efforts of DTP to make our Downtown neighborhood a symbol of opportunity that is welcoming and enjoyed by all Tulsans and visitors alike.”
Of both staff additions, Kurtz added, “A dynamic and multi-faceted organization like DTP requires professional staff to implement our work, and I’m elated that we have been fortunate to find experts in their respective fields to achieve our organizational goals.”
As Downtown Tulsa Partnership enters its second year, the organization continues to engage the Tulsa community through innovative projects, including a new, user-friendly website. DowntownTulsa.com provides a comprehensive directory so users can easily find restaurants, bars, shops, entertainment venues, banks and various public services within Downtown. DTP has partnered with Root Tulsa to share events and activities taking place in Downtown from the DTP homepage. This new website will also aid DTP in communicating critical information and the important stories of the people and places that make Downtown Tulsa so special.
As Downtown Tulsa Partnership celebrates new initiatives and future plans, the organization also celebrates the accomplishments of its first year. To date, the organization has:
- Built its team of Downtown Ambassadors to provide beautification, maintenance and hospitality services.
- Initiated the “Back to Downtown” campaign to encourage the community to support local businesses as they recover from the economic impact of the last several years.
- Worked closely with the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County Cares and local business owners to add parklets outside bars and restaurants to expand outdoor seating options as restaurants faced limited capacity indoors.
- Kicked off the design work to reimagine and preserve the uniqueness of the Center of the Universe.
Visit the website at DowntownTulsa.com for ongoing DTP updates and to sign up for a weekly newsletter about events and happenings.
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About Downtown Tulsa Partnership
Downtown Tulsa Partnership Inc. was established in 2021 by property owners, business representatives and civic leaders to advocate for and champion the continued improvement of Downtown Tulsa. The organization has entered into an agreement with the City of Tulsa to provide enhanced maintenance, beautification and livability services; mobility and public realm planning; and marketing and place enhancement initiatives funded through the Tulsa Stadium Improvement District that result in a thriving, vibrant and inclusive urban neighborhood.
Formerly the Downtown Coordination Council, the organization worked with the City of Tulsa and Progressive Urban Management Associates to create the Strategic Plan for a Downtown Management Organization, which recommended a new non-profit model based on national best practices to manage the Tulsa Stadium Improvement District services through a management contract with the City. After unanimous endorsement from the steering committee and DCC in October 2020, the organization transitioned to become Downtown Tulsa Partnership on July 1, 2021.