Oklahoma City wins Best City for Street Art for second consecutive year

For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma City has been selected as USA Today’s number one city for street art. The site put together a panel of experts and in-house editors to determine a top 20 list of nominee cities. Then, the public was allowed to voice support for their favorite city through a four-week voting period to determine the final rankings.

Oklahoma City outlasted cities like Austin, Texas; Miami, Florida; New York, New York; and more to become the overall winner of the popular vote.

USA Today gives mention to the Plaza District, Western Avenue, and Bricktown when referencing the decision to deem Oklahoma City as the top spot for street art.

The city was also awarded the number one position in 2021, further emphasizing the importance of public art with this year’s win.

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The late Robbie Kienzle has been credited in helping establish the artful ambience of Oklahoma City.

The city planner passed away in June, sparking a widespread mourning within the Oklahoma art community. Serving as the public art consultant for the original Metropolitan Area Project Plan, or MAPS, Kienzle ultimately allotted nearly 30 years to coordinating Oklahoma City art initiatives, later serving as the Arts & Cultural Affairs Liaison for the City of Oklahoma City.

The artist/architect held positions as the Director of the Festival of the Arts, Executive Director of the American Institute of Architects, and Visual Arts Consultant for the MAPS library, Bricktown ballpark, and Bricktown canal projects.

Kienzle’s contributions can be seen throughout the Bricktown district, as well as at Paycom Center, the Oklahoma City Zoo, Will Rogers World Airport, parks and trails around the city, and beyond.

One of the last projects Kienzle had a hand in is a 31-foot-tall, 14,000-pound floating feather sculpture planned to be installed at Scissortail Park this year.

Rendering of Taking Flight: Light as a Feather sculpture to be installed at Scissortail Park.