Scene July 2021

Referred to as “one of Earth’s most beautiful places,” Sedona, Ariz. will knock your socks off. And when it does, your socks – and your shoes – will be coated with the dust of sandstone rocks and erosional wilderness from the sun-drenched trails.  It’s a breathtaking arrival into this geological wonder, with endless vistas of copper rocks and ruddy buttes...
It started when Leatha Pierce, a volunteer for LIFE Senior Services in Tulsa, asked Bob Wiles to put together a band for a big fundraising event. She knew Wiles was the man for the job. Not only had he been a founding member of the Red Dirt Rangers, that trailblazing Stillwater band; he also knew and regularly jammed with...
Most of Joe Slack’s artwork is no small feat, and that’s putting it lightly. After all, one of his pieces spans two city blocks.  The native Oklahoman creates sculptures out of weathering Corten steel and painted metals. You’ve probably seen his vibrant and quirky modern artwork around town; his sculptures can be seen all over – from Norman to midtown...
The Rev. Robert Turner, Ph.D., doesn’t mind admitting he’s tired. For more than a year, the senior pastor of Greenwood’s Historic Vernon Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and many of his congregants, have been burning the candle at both ends. It started with the pandemic, which robbed church members of employment and, generally, added to the stress level of many...
Executive director Trait Thompson gets goosebumps when he looks at the rare copy of a Lewis and Clark speech owned by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Jeff Briley, deputy director of the Oklahoma History Center, says he was “just beside myself” the first time he gazed upon a 1,400-year-old buffalo hide overshoe found in a cave in northwest Oklahoma. And some of...
Midwest Modern Photography by Charles Davis Smith, FAIA How do you define luxury in a home? For Tulsa architect Brian Freese of Freese Architecture, the answer was easy when describing a new dwelling he designed, which he calls ‘Lakeside,’ on a bluff overlooking Skiatook Lake. Luxury comes to Freese’s design table in many forms. This assignment, over three years in the making,...
Oops, half the year is already over! How did this happen? I don’t know, and you probably don’t either, but here we are, looking down the barrel of a musical, a documentary and blockbuster action film. With more tent pole films feeling comfortable enough to release, it’s looking like we’re getting closer and closer to being on a regular...
America’s favorite past time is back in both of Oklahoma’s major metros. The Tulsa Drillers engage in regular season play June 8-13 and 22-30, all at ONEOK Field. Check listings for evenings with fireworks finales. The OKC Dodgers play at home June 3-8 and 10-15 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Semi-pro soccer returns to the field this month. The Tulsa FC...
At Philbrook, explore a world of delight, imagination and paradox with Dalí’s Alice in Wonderland, running June 11-Oct. 17.  At Gilcrease, Enslavement to Emancipation: Toward a More Perfect Union opens June 17, showcasing three foundational documents that speak to the history of African slavery in the Western Hemisphere and the United States. In conjunction with the Tulsa Race Massacre’s centennial, Crystal...