Inspiring change through painting – Alexander Tamahn

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I’m your host Tim Landes. 

Has anybody else noticed we’re going through a sort of modern age renaissance period in Tulsa? Some may hear Renaissance and only think legendary artists, but it was also a period of social change. Hear me out. 

The arts are alive and thriving like never before in Tulsa, and with that comes messages of resiliency and calls for change. Drive anywhere around town and there’s a good chance you’ll see a bright, vibrant mural that tells a story and/or promotes a business, organization, neighborhood or district. And there are some that are just fun.  

There are multiple art museums, numerous galleries and exhibits being shown wherever artists can find wall space. Artists are selling paintings, prints and apparel through their Instagram and Pintrest.  

There are galleries in Brookside, on Admiral, on Greenwood and inside the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. Many of the paintings have small stickers on the nameplate indicating they’re sold. 

A message painted on Greenwood caused a lot of controversy in the summer of 2020 and was eventually removed by the City. It stated Black lives matter. 

Philbrook just launched the new exhibit “From the Limitations of Now,” which spans the museum and officials say “reflects on the important ways art and literature allow us to examine America’s past and picture a future in which, in the words of renowned Oklahoma author Ralph Ellison, “we are able to free ourselves from the limitations of today.”

My guest on this episode is Alexander Tamahn. His work along with many other local artists is on display at Philbrook through September 5. He contributed to a mural titled “Time Travel” with his friends in Black Moon Collective. They also did the BLM mural by the railroad tracks between Archer and First off Greenwood. 

Alexander is on a prolific tear right now. He has work showing at ahha and recently contributed to a Gathering Place exhibit. It was a massive beautiful painting he did in a week because he’s that talented and always creating for the next thing.  

He’s so busy we had to squeeze in time for this conversation as he was leaving Philbrook and traveling to another destination to discuss another upcoming art show. We talk about his incredible year of art. 

If you’ve seen the beautiful faces on the wall outside of Fulton Street Books, that’s Alexander’s work. He also contributed to the mural of Black community leaders on the wall of the Metro by T-Mobile across from McLain. He’s got more work all over the place. 

Alexander is also a teacher and an ORU graduate with a background in psychology. I met him a few years ago when he and other Teach for America teachers painted a mural with students through their after school project called Disrupt. We discuss why he enjoys teaching art to young people and more in this chat. 

Following my conversation with him, I share an audio excerpt from my recent interview with Casii Stephan about her new single “Here Comes the Light,” which she graciously shared with us to share with you. More on that later. 

This episode is produced by Tim Landes and Morgan Phillips.