Burning Still is a poignant bronze sculpture series located in Tulsa's historic Greenwood District, often called Black Wall Street. The work consists of four teardrop-shaped sculptures that depict scenes from before, during, and after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as seen through a child’s eyes. That child would have witnessed the strong community, the violence that started the night of May 31, and the ruined Greenwood District afterward. The massacre was kept quiet in both black and white communities for different reasons. Suppressed memories and whispered stories smoldered in private, and a legacy of trauma seeped down through generations.

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Together, the teardrops embody remembrance and resilience. At night, light shines through the perforations in each bronze teardrop, creating four alcoves that each tell a story. Stars projected overhead represent history looking down, seeing all, and remembering. They also honor the resilience and hope that survived the tragedy. Beneath the sculptures, projected laurel leaves are a solemn marker of the lives lost and the unmarked graves still being discovered. 

 

Every scene before, during and after the massacre includes children because children are the conduit through which trauma is communicated from generation to generation. Children suffered the massacre and carried the horror through generations. On the other side, children as young as ten were deputized into hatred and violence without a chance to learn another way.

 

Installed in an underpass, the artwork remains in perpetual darkness while the light projections emerging from within serve as both remembrance and guidance, illuminating a history too long kept in the shadows. 

 

Burning Still is part of a multi-exhibit project in Tulsa's I-244 downtown underpass. The artwork invites visitors to confront Tulsa's
history, honor the lives impacted, and recognize the enduring strength of community.

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Date: 

2025

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Location: 

Greenwood District in Downtown Tulsa, OK​

 

Dimensions: 

Each of the four teardrop-shaped sculptures is 48” in diameter at the widest point and 84” tall

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Medium:

Coated Brass, LED lighting​

 

Artists:

Joseph O’Connell, Anneliese Bruner + Creative Machines