OKLAHOMA CITY (August 11, 2026) — Over 100 years ago, Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church suffered destruction during the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Only the basement survived the event. The congregation rebuilt, and today Vernon AME Church stands as the only surviving Black-owned structure that remains intact from the era of Historic Black Wall Street. 

Starting June 17, 2027, the historic church takes the spotlight in “I Know Someone Wonderful”, a new exhibition coming to Oklahoma Contemporary’s Mary LeFlore Clements Oklahoma Gallery. 

"The historic Vernon AME Church is an important work of American architecture.  This collaborative project will document and re-present elements of this architecture and its legacy in exciting experiential ways."
— Aaron Jones, artist 

The work of artist Aaron Jones and community activist Kristi Williams, “I Know Someone Wonderful” displays a series of suspended, bell-like domes that represent the interior structures of Vernon AME Church. These little architectures explore overlaps in storytelling, faux-finishing and experimental printmaking techniques, and incorporate looping archival audio from the church. The domes become intimate and immersive portals, transporting visitors to a deeper understanding of and engagement with Vernon’s important history.  

"As a descendant of survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, this project is deeply personal to me. It is an incredible honor to work with Aaron Jones to transform the history of Historic Vernon AME Church into an experience that speaks across generations. This exhibition reminds us that buildings can hold memory, faith can sustain a people, and preservation is one of the most powerful forms of storytelling." 
— Kristi Williams, community activist 

Historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1905. The congregation completed the current sanctuary in 1925, after the superstructure, parsonage and sanctuary were destroyed in the Tulsa Race Massacre. The church remains an integral part of the community today, carrying the nickname "The Grandmother of Greenwood." Vernon is a symbol of strength, a place of refuge, an advocate for social justice, a meeting place for community discussions and a ministry to those in need. 

The exhibition is curated by Lindsay Aveilhé. Aveilhé and Jones previously curated and exhibited artworks respectively with Oklahoma Contemporary’s biennial ArtNow exhibition series. 

“I Know Someone Wonderful” will be on view June 17-Nov. 1, 2027. Admission to Oklahoma Contemporary is always free. 

About Aaron Jones 

Aaron Jones is an artist and registered architect based in Tulsa, where he co-runs Pfeifer Jones Architecture (PfJ/A). PfJ/A is a studio working across a variety of projects that include buildings, interiors, installations, objects — and beyond. 

Jones’ creative research is concerned primarily with the development of media structures and often results in deeply themed pop-up theaters, performance art installations and entertainment portals. This work has been recognized and supported by Art Omi, MacDowell, the Venice Architecture Biennale, ArtPapers, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Museum’s NEW INC program among many others. He has most recently shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MoCAD), the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) in Colorado and Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. 

Aaron received his Master of Architecture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he later taught as a visiting architect in residence. 

About Kristi Williams 

Kristi Williams, also known as Orisabiyi, is a descendant of the Muscogee Creek Freedmen, tracing her lineage to the 1874 Supreme Court Justice of the Muscogee Creek Nation, Jesse Franklin. Additionally, she has ancestral ties to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, with her great aunt Janie Edwards experiencing the tragic event firsthand at the Dreamland Theater. As the founder of Black History Saturdays, Williams established a school dedicated to teaching Black history in response to Oklahoma legislation restricting its curriculum in public schools. She is a prominent community activist, Greenwood advocate, political consultant and executive assistant to her pastor, Keith R. Mayes, Sr., of the Vernon AME Church. 

Williams has been instrumental in various initiatives, including serving as campaign manager for Tulsa District 1 City Councilor Vanessa Hall Harper, program manager for Fitting Back In Tulsa with World Won Development and consultant for Standpipe Hill Strategies — initiating the Standpipe Hill Homebuyers Program in 2022, which facilitated homeownership for numerous individuals. Williams also serves in an advisory role for National Geographic Society’s geography education work in Oklahoma and is a former chairperson of the Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission. 

She has received numerous awards for her impactful contributions, including “Community Activist of The Year” and the “Community Spirit Award” and is recognized for her advocacy work in documentaries, panel discussions and national media outlets, amplifying the narratives of marginalized communities. 

About Lindsay Aveilhé  

Lindsay Aveilhé is founder and director of Central Standard, an independent contemporary art platform based in Tulsa, presenting artists from Middle America alongside nationally and internationally recognized voices. A curator, writer and arts advocate with over 15 years of experience in the United States and internationally, she is editor of the Sol LeWitt Wall Drawings Catalogue Raisonné (Cahier d’Art, 2018) and co-creator of the Sol LeWitt mobile app, developed in collaboration with the LeWitt Estate and Microsoft. She has curated exhibitions at the Reykjavík Art Museum in Iceland; Galleria Alfonso Artiaco in Naples, Italy; and Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, and is a contributing author to Locating LeWitt: Between Mind and Body (Yale University Press, 2021). Aveilhé is a 2025-27 Tulsa Artist Fellow. 

About Oklahoma Contemporary 

Oklahoma Contemporary, formed in 1989 as City Arts Center by Christian Keesee and Kirkpatrick Foundation Director Marilyn Myers, is a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality, accessible and affordable arts programming. With a mission to encourage artistic expression in all its forms through education, exhibitions and performance, Oklahoma Contemporary is committed to instilling in the public a lifetime appreciation of the arts and enthusiasm for creative practice. For more information on free exhibitions, class schedules and public programs, visit oklahomacontemporary.org.

More information can be found in the media kit at https://bit.ly/SomeoneWonderful. An exhibition webpage can be found at okcontemp.org/wonderful. Past press releases and information are archived at okcontemp.org/media.