Fun And Funky: Kendall Whittier Holds Sofa Art Street Party

The sofa is the iconic piece of living room furniture in America. So if you intended to turn a piece of furniture into art, you might choose a sofa.

Sofa Art is reason enough for a fun and funky evening in Tulsa's Kendall Whittier neighborhood.

The Whittier Square area of Tulsa was once a busy suburban retail hub and has in the last few years been making a comeback. Established businesses like Rebecca Joskey's Urban Furnishings are rediscovering the area, and moving in.

"It's kind of like after 20 years you want to repackage everything," Joskey said. 

Ed Sharrer is the Executive Director of Kendall Whittier Main Street.

"September happens to be her 20th anniversary in business," Sharrer said.

His job is to promote the area, so this whole thing sounded like an excuse for a party. A house-warming of sorts - a new location for Rebecca's store helping bring new life to an old neighborhood. So why not stretch the metaphor a bit farther and hold a contest to give new life to a castoff couch. 

"Upscaling an old, unwanted sofa," said Rebecca Joskey, owner of Urban Furnishings.

A dozen artists like Joseph Buchanan and Lanette Clark were asked to participate. They are husband and wife artists with very different styles. She painted a love seat an off-white then - in her Jackson Pollack style - drizzled paint all over creating something very distinctive.

"For my piece I had to find two tires that had been down Route 66," said her husband, Joseph Buchanan.

Joseph went Route 66 for his inspiration. He found two tires off a car from California.

"They came off a '68 or '69 Pontiac Catalina that had come from Santa Monica," he said.

Buchanan painted iconic places from on or near the route on a chaise lounge re-do.

One of the contest rules is that the repurposed sofa has to be functional.

The sofa art is for sale in a silent auction, and the big street party is Saturday evening, September 21, from 5 to 9 in front of Urban Furnishings. That's near Admiral and Lewis.

Find out more about the Sofa Art Street Party.