Vision TULSA - The Tulsa City Council

c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 9annual awards included: Outstanding YouthProduction – Clark Theatre—Annie; OutstandingPlay, 2nd Runner Up – Heller Theatre—GrossIndecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde;Outstanding Play, 1st Runner Up – The PlayhouseTheatre—Shining City; Outstanding Play – ThePlayhouse Theatre—Macbeth. A DistinguishedArtist award was presented to Joe Sears, and theinaugural Mary Kay Place Legacy Award went toBillie Sue Thompson.The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame celebrated itsfifth anniversary in the Jazz Depot in downtownTulsa. Sunday afternoon concerts have becomea staple, along with excellent music educationprograms involving youth from across the city.Cain’s Ballroom and the Brady Theatre attractedrecord crowds to their venues, offering musicalacts of all kinds. The BOK Center continued to wowaudiences and guest artists alike, and hosted manyof the top names in the entertainment industry.The Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers,located at OSU-Tulsa in the Greenwood District,hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist andbest-selling author, Anna Quindlen, for an eveningof readings and commentary as part of a newinitiative called Tulsa Reads, using booksto enlarge our thinking, broaden our hearts,and build a better community.And speaking of community, The TulsaCity-County Library always plays an active rolethroughout Tulsa. Among the highlights in 2011was the awarding of the Peggy V. HelmerichDistinguished Author Award to Alan Furst,America’s preeminent spy novelist. Furst, aninternationally acclaimed author of historicalespionage fiction, has written 15 novels; isa contributor to periodicals such as Esquire,Elle, and GQ; and is a former columnist for theInternational Herald Tribune.The Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’Literature was presented to author Kathryn Lasky,who has written dozens of books. Her mostpopular books are the “Guardians of Ga’Hoole”series, containing 15 books chronicling theadventures of Soren, the barn owl. In 2010,the 3-D animated feature film “Legend of theGuardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” was releasedwith wide acclaim. Children’s and young adultnon-fiction books by Lasky include “John Muir:American’s First Environmentalist,” “Searching forLaura Ingalls,” and “Sugaring Time,” which earnedher a Newbery Honor.Downtown Tulsa saw a resurgence of energyand community investment in 2011 with a promiseof even more in 2012. Creating a vibrant, urban,walkable, and livable community has becomemuch more than a dream. Every day, it’s becomingmore and more of a reality. And all of it is centeredon the creative arts. Now is a great time to visitdowntown Tulsa and feel the excitement in the airfor yourself!Cesar Pelli’s sketch of the BOK Center.Buddy Valastro, baking star of TLC’s The Cake Boss.Jim Brickman.10 VISION TULSA 2012 | t u l s a c o u n c i l . o r g