Fever dream

Scenes of summer 2017

Nate Grace is a photographer, writer, and musician working in Tulsa. He moved here from Austin, Texas, in February 2016. After his move, Grace began documenting Tulsa on Instagram with his #tulsaeveryday hashtag.

“A lot of times I do feel isolated, having just moved here. I’m in a weird city,” Grace said. “This project forced me to go out and catch the vibe. It was a way to get to know Tulsa … to break out of my loop. Most of the places I went I hadn’t been before.”

Grace shoots on 35mm film, and photographs often when out with his family.

“There is so much to do here,” he continued. “Like, ten thousand things. The river, swimming pools, parks, stuff happening at night. So much is going on and people are out doing it—especially if you have a family. Tulsa is really kid-friendly, which is awesome for me and for parents. I think about this with [my son] Guthrie all the time. I’m not going out to the bars or at night right now, that’s not where I’m coming from.” 

Charles Reed plays guitar next to The Tavern on East M.B. Brady Street. “I’ve done 28 years straight in prison for nonviolent crimes because of our draconian judicial system,” Reed told Grace. “But the summer times of Oklahoma, I love ‘em because they’re so unpredictable. As they say, Oklahoma weather changes like the wind, but to me it’s some of the best wind that there is. You know what I mean? And so my experiences in summer are rather alright—because in prison you don’t get to look at the stars because you’re locked down. So that’s the thing I enjoy most about Oklahoma and being free—being able to look up at the stars.”

Listen to Reed’s song—