Historians and curators have labored collectively to gather items of Tulsa sports activities historical past to assist folks study extra concerning the groups they know, but additionally about different groups which have been hidden in plain sight.
Sports activities usually carry folks collectively.
“It is one of many issues that all of us nonetheless share, and we are able to have type of intense however pleasant conversations it doesn’t matter what,” stated Sean Latham of the Oklahoma Middle for the Humanities.
That is why Latham and the curators lined all their bases with the “OK Play” exhibition.
“We’ve type of wonderful tales about determine skating, for instance, in Tulsa and a few very nice artifacts right here,” Latham stated.
The exhibit featured soccer, basketball and soccer, but additionally lined the historical past of underrepresented gamers.
“We’ve the historical past of Native American sports activities, we’ve got African-American sports activities, we’ve got sports activities on the College of Tulsa, and so they play soccer on what appears to be like like basically an open area,” Latham stated.
A number of folks in the neighborhood stepped in to assist Latham and different curators acquire as a lot sports activities memorabilia from the town as attainable. Jake Cornwell was the professional they wanted.
“There’s been an extended historical past of African-American baseball in Tulsa, courting again to earlier than statehood,” he stated.
Jake has been working on the Oklahoma Baseball Archives for 15 years, specializing in individuals who by no means acquired a lot recognition,
“This was one of many few black-owned, black-built, black-operated baseball fields in all the nation,” Cornwell stated, pointing to an previous picture.
Curators hoped the exhibit knocked it out of the park and helped folks study one thing new.
“Oh, I feel there’s one thing new to study as you go round virtually each nook,” Latham stated.
“OK Play” shall be open to the general public from January 5, 2023 till the tip of March. It can host totally different occasions for every First Friday that can tie into the general theme of sports activities,