Concept for Cry Baby Hill, Route 66 attraction faces fierce public backlash from some Tulsans (2024)

The ongoing outcry over a 21-foot-tall sculpture coming to Tulsa’s Cry Baby Hill is not falling on deaf ears, officials say, but that won’t stop the project from moving forward as planned.

City officials updated the status of the project — to be built on the hill, 815 S. Riverside Drive, where it will serve as a roadside attraction for nearby Route 66 — on Aug. 16, announcing that an artist and concept had been selected.

New Hampshire-based sculptor Ken Kelleher was the choice, with plans calling for his sculpture “Cry Baby Cry” — a 21-foot-tall crying baby in boots — to be installed ahead of the Route 66 centennial in 2026.

However, the news has ignited a social media firestorm, with critics slamming the project on a variety of points, from the concept itself to the public input process to the decision not to choose a local artist.

Now, an online petition to stop the project has been organized. Since going up Tuesday at change.org, over 1,100 signatures have been collected.

City spokesman Carson Colvin said Thursday that the city is aware of and sensitive to the criticism.

“Anytime that you have a project like this you’re going to have people who really like it, and you’re going to have others who don’t — and that’s to be expected,” Colvin said.

“We respect the opinions of the neighbors, our artist community, and everyday Tulsans who have shared their thoughts after this announcement, and we’re confident the artist will take those into consideration as a final design is developed.”

The total project budget is $250,000, with funding approved by voters as part of the 2003 Vision 2025 sales tax and the 2006 Third Penny sales tax packages.

The city held two public meetings with neighborhood and stakeholder groups in December prior to releasing the Cry Baby Hill request for proposals.

The RFP garnered 15 responses with designs for proposed projects. A panel of city officials, along with representatives from the surrounding neighborhoods, Tulsa Arts Commission, Route 66 Commission, Visit Tulsa and Tulsa Tough reviewed the responses before selecting Kelleher’s, officials said.

“When we received proposals back, various groups on the selection panel almost all-but-unanimously voted in favor of this project,” Colvin said.

‘Hurting the city’

Tulsa sculptor Chris Wollard hasn’t been as vocal as some of the project’s critics.

But Wollard, one of the submitting artists for the project, won’t hide his disappointment that a Tulsan wasn’t chosen.

“It’s hurting the city, literally,” he said. “It’s just hundreds of thousands of dollars going out of state every time one of these projects pops up.”

Wollard said some of the negative reaction is likely due to the fact that the local arts community already feels a lack of support from local leaders.

“There’s been a kind of a general underlying turmoil building with local artists feeling marginalized and ignored by the powers that be here,” he said. “I think it just came to a head with this.”

Wollard added that as a Tulsan, the decision is further disappointing because Cry Baby Hill — a popular gathering place and party spot for the annual Tulsa Tough bike race — is a uniquely Tulsa phenomenon. Consequently, any project that commemorates it should involve a Tulsa artist who understands it, he said.

The online petition opposing the project was set up by Tulsa resident Brandon Paul.

“This situation is disheartening and unacceptable,” Paul said. “Ken Kelleher, although reputed, is not a local artist, and many of us believe that his proposed art piece doesn’t reflect the spirit and culture of our community.

“Public art should enrich our community, not alienate or offend its members. While art is often subjective, the overall sentiment toward this particular project is noticeably negative.”

Paul added that while the city did make an effort to collect input, it was far from enough. He said he hoped the petition will persuade the city to reconsider and to do a better job of involving the public.

‘Quintessentially Tulsa’

The attraction is just one of three planned Route 66-related investments to be funded through the 2003 Vision 2025 tax. Earlier this year, requests for proposals were released for the other two projects, a Route 66 commercial development and a Route 66 virtual outdoor museum.

Kelleher, whose works can be found worldwide, is known for his large, colorful, eye-catching sculptures.

Visibility from surrounding roads is a priority for the Cry Baby Hill project, as laid out in the RFP.

In a news release announcing the project, Mayor G.T. Bynum said: “This sculpture will be quintessentially Tulsa, and I couldn’t be more excited for the enthusiasm that we all have for this stretch of our Mother Road and Cry Baby Hill. I am thrilled to have an artist who is helping bring this idea to life, and I’m eager that Tulsa has yet another way to celebrate the most famous road in American history here in the Capital of Route 66.”

For more information and updates on this and the other Route 66 projects, go to cityoftulsa.org/Route66.

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