Tulsa City Councilor Addresses Art Crawl Compliance Issues

City leaders say some vendors at Tulsa's First Friday Art Crawls are causing safety concerns by blocking sidewalks.

Tulsa City Councilor Laura Bellis serves District 4, which does not include the area where the Art Crawl takes place but does encompass parts of downtown. She notes that as the event has grown and more vendors are participating, many have not complied with city regulations.

Councilor Bellis states that some key issues include vendors blocking sidewalks, which causes problems with ADA compliance. She adds that vendors are also obstructing foot traffic to businesses and galleries.

She says a lot of people were unaware of the policies for the operation of the art crawl. After receiving feedback, she explains that the city is exploring the best immediate next steps.

“Either identifying other space for them to do nearby or seeing if they want to file their own event permit to potentially have some parking spaces that they take over or some creative solutions,” Councilor Bellis says. "We’re just supporting those vendors."

In the long term, Councilor Bellis hopes to see policies change so that arts vendors can sell in larger sidewalk areas beyond the Art Crawl. She believes this would not only help support smaller entrepreneurs but also attract more visitors to downtown.

The next First Friday Art Crawl is scheduled for Friday, November 1st.