Art Beyond the Glass: Oklahoma City (July 17, 2016)
Photo courtesy of 51st Street Speakeasy
As part of its five-year anniversary celebration, Art Beyond the Glass is expanding to events outside Los Angeles for the first time. A chance meeting in Los Angeles last fall between ABTG co-founder Daniel Djang and Josh Cockle (Winship's Small Batch Bitters) has resulted in Oklahoma City becoming the first city to host a national ABTG event.
Art Beyond the Glass: Oklahoma City is taking place on Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 51st St. Speakeasy, an expansive indoor-outdoor venue located on bustling Western Avenue. Opened in 2008, 51st St. Speakeasy (aka "The Speak") is located in a historic, turn-of-the-century house. In January 2016, 51st St. Speakeasy emerged from extensive renovations under new ownership: bartender Henri Bailey and twin brothers Greg and Mike Bustamante. The Speak boasts craft cocktails, multiple bars, a refurbished Art Deco copper ceiling, high-end furniture, live performance stage, updated lighting and redesigned patio.
The inaugural ABTG OKC is raising funds for Arts Council Oklahoma City, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing the arts and the community together through free or low-cost large-scale downtown OKC cultural events and arts outreach activities that impact underserved populations. Proceeds from ABTG OKC will benefit the All Access Arts program, which provides music, dance, and visual arts education to underserved schools, libraries, parks, and community agencies. The program serves 20,000 people annually.
Oklahoma City's top bartenders are participating in ABTG, including: Ari Collins (The Speak),Benny Jacobs (The Root), Chris Barrett (Ludivine), Colby Poulan (Ludivine), Henri Bailey(The Speak), James Etzler (Savings & Loan Co.), Joel Klickman (Savings & Loan Co.), Johnny Mohawk (The Criterion) and Scott Glidewell (The Red Rooster, Power House).
Exhibiting bartender artists include: Benny Jacobs (The Root), Jessica Seikel (Steve's Rib),Lance Griffin (The Store Club), Pie Butler (The Pump Bar), Ross Adams (The Mule) and Toni Fiasco (Red PrimeSteak).
Featured bartender performances include: acoustic set by Chase McCumber (The Speak), DJ J20 (Jojo Bolds, The Pump Bar), Scenes From an Execution by Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park with Jodi Nestander (The Red Rooster), belly dancing by Risa Wilkinson (The Speak), Sine-Wave-Sea (featuring Kyle Caldwell of The Red Rooster) and Tonne (featuring Trey Millward of The Speak).
The all-inclusive ABTG OKC ticket includes cocktails, art exhibit, entertainment, and bar bites such as sushi donated by In the Raw, chile pork verde from Power House, and dishes from Ludivine, The Red Rooster and 51st St. Speakeasy.
Guests will be able to purchase bartender art, buy raffle tickets and bid on silent auction items such as artwork, photography, rare spirits and more. The raffle grand prize includes a custom home bar created by Adam Shelton (The Root) and Josh Cockle (Winship's Small Batch Bitters). All proceeds benefit Arts Council OKC.
ABTG OKC is being produced with the participation and support of the Oklahoma City chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG).
Presale tickets are priced at $40 per person and are now available at Eventbrite.
Art Beyond the Glass is a 21 and over event. Please enjoy responsibly. ABTG strongly recommends using a ride share service such as Uber or Lyft.