Black History Plaza Artwork

Norman Arts Council, on behalf of The City of Norman, is seeking an artist or team of artists to create a significant work of art for the Black History Plaza in downtown Norman, Oklahoma. The plaza will be located on Jones Ave between Acers Ave and Robinson Ave on the Norman Legacy Trail, a 1.5-mile paved trail for walking, biking, and running near the railroad tracks through downtown. The Black History Plaza will be the eighth plaza added to the trail, which currently features seven historical plazas with informational plaques, bronze sculptures, a detailed model of OU in 1942, and a replica of an old bank clock tower.

Norman is a growing, progressive city located 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City and is the third-largest city in Oklahoma. Black history in Norman is marked by early struggles with racial segregation, including its history as a "sundown town," but also by significant progress led by figures like Dr. George Henderson and his wife, Barbara, the first Black homeowners and OU professor who broke barriers. Don and Etta Johnson were the first African-American siblings to integrate Norman Public Schools. Thurgood Marshall represented Ada Lois Sipuel when OU denied her admission to law school solely based on race, successfully arguing for her right to attend in Sipuel vs. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1948). Prentice Gautt was the first African-American football player to attend OU. Anita Hill, whose testimony in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings brought national attention to workplace sexual harassment, was a prominent law professor at OU in the early 1990s.

The artwork will be situated in a brick plaza measuring approximately 1,000 square feet. The artist(s) will work directly with the architect hired by the City to determine the layout. Other plazas feature bronze statues, clocks, plaques, and small-scale sculptures with the plaza itself constructed of red brick and marble. The committee is open to ideas on what might best suit the space and celebrate the Black Community. The artwork should focus on the Black History of Norman and the challenges, struggles, achievements, and vitality of the community. Budget: $75,000 - $90,000. Entry deadline: April 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. Submit 3-8 images.