A Showboat concert cruise is one of the very best ways to spend a spring or summer evening in Oklahoma City. Featuring some of Oklahoma’s premier local artists and diverse genres, Showboat cruises are fundraising events, with net proceeds benefitting the Bricktown Canal area improvement efforts of ArtAfloatOKC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.
BRINGING DYNAMIC, ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES TO OKLAHOMA CITY’S BRICKTOWN CANAL
Mural Title: “Flow” by Artist Tiffany McKnight
Photo Credit: Pablo Angulo-Gonzalez, Bricktown Water Taxi Photographer
The following is an excerpt from a post written by Bricktown Water Taxi writer Pablo Angulo-Gonzalez for Bricktown Water Taxi’s website blog, The Wheelhouse.
‘”Flow” is the title of Tiffany McKnight’s newest mural in Bricktown. After three years of showcasing McKnight’s temporary vinyl wallpaper design, Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership and the OKC Public Art Office invited the local artist to replace the old wallpaper with a permanent, painted mural.
The finished piece consists of two murals facing each other across the Bricktown water canal under the Wanda Jackson Way bridge. The artist spray-painted oranges, pinks, purples, blues, and more over the two 7 x 21 feet concrete walls.
The mural “is supposed to feel expansive when you’re standing in front of it as you get lost in the sea of color,” the artist told me in an interview. “Speaking of the sea, the water has really inspired me,” she added.
McKnight said the new murals were designed to insert vibrant color and energize the surrounding space. The artist also mentioned that she drew inspiration from the calming waters in the canal and the optical effects of colors in the area.’
Other ArtAfloatOKC-funded artistic interventions will include the performing arts, beginning with live music via the Showboat Concert Series and ultimately extending to other presentations – not only on boats but throughout the entire canal area – including music, drama, spoken word and other types of live performance.
Besides official endeavors, area partners such as Bricktown Water Taxi will pursue private efforts that closely align with the goals of ArtAfloatOKC, such Water Taxi’s privately-funded project to reimagine its iconic boats via onboard murals in partnership with Oklahoma Mural Syndicate.
In March of 2022, ArtAfloatOKC was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization status by the IRS. All donations to the organization are tax-deductible.
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ArtAfloatOKC marks a new chapter in the life of Bricktown Canal, built in 1999 as a part of Oklahoma City’s original MAPS projects. This new, combined effort is led by downtown partners and stakeholders who are committed to promoting an ever-changing environment and palette, featuring Oklahoma-based artistic excellence.
ArtAfloatOKC specifically represents a concerted effort to bring new and inspiring artistic interventions to the Bricktown Canal via the visual and performing arts. These will include (but are not limited to) murals and other visual art within the canal area, dynamic (and occasionally interactive) lighting and technological displays, and even artistically themed horticultural installations.
"The Showboat Concert Series, hosted by ArtAfloatOKC, is one of our favorite experiences we've done since moving to Oklahoma City!"
-Ashley L.
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“El Pavo Real” (2018) by artist Jack Fowler. Organized and funded by the Artist Initiatives program, administered by the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership in cooperation with the City of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Department of Parks and Recreation. While this installation predated the creation of the ArtAfloatOKC Foundation, it is again an excellent example of the type of project our organization seeks to bring to the Bricktown Canal.