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Artist Sarah Ahmad’s installation, which is part of the Greenwood Art Project, is built around a refugee tent similar to ones used by families left homeless by the massacre. The massacre left nearly 10,000 people homeless in what’s considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.
Thousands of yellow and orange fabric marigold flowers represent firebombs that destroyed homes in the Greenwood District. But the marigolds are also a symbol of renewal in the aftermath of destruction.
Along with marigolds, the inside of the tent is filled with candles and archival photos of the massacre’s aftermath. This contrasts with the tent’s plain exterior to mirror how trauma is fundamentally an internal experience that Tulsa’s Black community has endured for generations.
As part of the 100th anniversary commemoration, a variety of Greenwood Art Project installations, experiences and collaborations are debuting over the next few days, with more set to be unveiled well into the summer.