Award-Winning "Underground" to Host Art Gallery

You may remember it as the Conncourse, but if you haven't been back to the tunnel system beneath downtown in some time, you'd likely be surprised to see the new "Underground."

After extensive renovation that included new lighting, carpet, signage and much more, Downtown OKC, Inc. was recently given the Special Achievement Award in Public Spaces for the Underground at the International Downtown Association Conference in New York.

The Underground has now become a downtown OKC attraction, another good move by city officials to capitalize on a unique resource. So if you haven't been down to see the new tunnel system, here's another reason to do so.

Beginning today and running through January 11, 2008, the Underground will host "Spirit Paths" in the Invited Artist Gallery sponsored by Devon Energy. Featuring a number of local artists, the show runs during normal Underground and gallery hours, 6am-8pm Monday through Friday.

There's also a new interactive art installation at the end of the light gallery tunnel from OKC media artist Duff Bassett that captures tunnel images and displays a "continuous replay of the near past."

Here's a full map of the Underground in PDF format.

<sub>Photo by Hedrich Blessing

Painting by Marc Barker</sub>