Move over decrepit old buildings. There's a new obsession in Steve Lackmeyer's heart!
Yesterday afternoon, Lackmeyer posted a lengthy blog post on NewsOK.com complaining about a new mural that was recently that is going to be painted in Bricktown. I guess Steve is upset the mural is weird and isn't some basic, clichéd, Chamber of Commerce-inspired work that pays homage to Oklahoma City's obscure musical history.
East Bricktown is quickly emerging as the center of a new live music hub for Oklahoma City. The Criterion is successfully drawing large crowds even on nights when the competing entertainment draw is an important Thunder playoff game down the street.
The entire area is getting built up with hotels, retail and housing. Other music anchors include the ACM@UCO Performance Lab and the Bricktown Event Center. And in the heart of it all, you have a street named after one of the greatest music legends to hail from Oklahoma City: Charlie Christian.
Charlie Christian and fellow jazz great Jimmy Rushing still lack any big tributes, however, beyond the street name in Christian’s honor.
Wait a second? "Beyond the street name in Christian’s honor." Uhm, isn't that a pretty big honor? That would be like saying outside of naming the airport after him, there are no big tributes around town to Will Rogers.
A great potential canvass for a mural, meanwhile, emerged when owners of the southwest corner of the former Stewart Metal Fabricators property chose to turn their spot into surface parking. That left the plain concrete wall of the Bricktown Event Center exposed and prime for some cool art.
The owners of the property, Brent and Brett Brewer, teamed up to split the cost of the mural 50/50 with Downtown Initiatives, a non-profit operated by Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. The Brewers envisioned a mural linked to the city’s music culture or history – maybe something honoring Christian and Rushing...
Could Bricktown get the sort of brilliant mural done of Woody Guthrie done by Aaron Whisner in Tulsa? It’s iconic, loved by locals and visitors.