"Permission to Breathe: A Black Woman’s Perspective on Living Life Unapologetically," curated by Artists Ebony Iman Dallas, Elizabeth Feahther Henley, and Jaiden Jiji McClellan

ARTIST TALK + CLOSING RECEPTION, 2PM, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, with special guest speaker, Michelle Burdex, Program Coordinator, Greenwood Cultural Center

The artist talk for "Permission to Breathe: A Black Woman’s Perspective on Living Life Unapologetically" unfolds as a shared breath—an intimate conversation centering Black women’s voices and lived experience. Participating artists will share how their work reflects the conscious decision to give themselves permission to breathe, and how this choice shapes both their creative practices and their lives.

The discussion is joined by guest speaker Michelle Burdex, Program Coordinator for the Greenwood Cultural Center, who will reflect on how she takes permission to breathe within cultural leadership and everyday life. Together, the conversation becomes a collective exhale—honoring vulnerability as strength, creativity as care, and Black womanhood as expansive and unapologetically present.

About the Guest Speaker: Michelle Burdex is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has served as the Program Coordinator for the Greenwood Cultural Center (GCC) for 29 years. She has implemented and managed several award-winning programs, including the Summer Arts Program, GCC’s Performing Arts Program, and the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Summer and After-School Program. In 2024, Michelle launched the 1619 Project: Summer Edition program in collaboration with Mizzen Education. Michelle is also a committed storyteller and tour guide, having led tours for thousands of students, educators, and tourists from around the world, including U.S. President Joe Biden, as a part of the Greenwood Cultural Center’s 100-year commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Michelle has a unique ability to educate people about the tragic history of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the triumphant history of Black Wall Street through storytelling. Michelle is a member of the Tulsa Mass Graves Historical Narrative Committee and the American Folklore Society. She serves as a Board Member for A New Way Foundation. She is also a founding member and President of the Black Wall Street Historical Society, and a founding member of the Deep Greenwood Foundation.

In 2020, Michelle was selected to be a member of the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Leadership Arts Program and Leadership Tulsa’s Thrive Tulsa Leadership Program. She is a former Bloomberg Tech Fellow as a part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program.

In 2022, Michelle received the Archie Green Public Folklore Advocacy Award from the American Folklore Society. The award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions through public-oriented projects, programs, and innovative activities that have made a positive impact on folk traditions and their communities in the United States. In 2024, she was named a WESTAF Leader of Color. WESTAF is an initiative designed to address the need for diversity and inclusion within the arts and culture field, particularly in leadership roles. In 2025, Michelle received the Black Excellence Award for community service. Michelle is currently a member of the African American Leadership Academy for 2025-2026. She is also Vice President of the recently relaunched NAACP Tulsa, Branch #6143.

Learn more

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This Event is provided by Positive Space Tulsa and is not in direct affiliation with Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC).
The address for this event is: 1324 East 3rd Street Tulsa, OK, 74120

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