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Oklahoma Arts Council News

August 2014

2014 Oklahoma Arts Conference registration opens

Artists, staff and board members of arts organizations, community developers, civic leaders, educators, students, and others involved in Oklahoma's arts and cultural industry can now register for the 2014 Oklahoma Arts Conference. The conference takes place October 22-23 at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Norman. Join us on October 21 and you can enjoy special preconference activities as well.

Earlybird registration is $85. Registration after September 19 is $135.

With Norman hosting the 2014 conference, attendees will learn how to create a bold vision for their communities with arts and cultural resources serving in principal roles. Join us October 22-23 in Norman for the annual event that brings together Oklahoma's creative community!

View the 2014 Oklahoma Arts Conference schedule.

Governor's Arts Awards nominations due this Friday, August 8

Friday, August 8 is the deadline to submit nominations for the 2014 Governor's Arts Awards. The 39th annual event will be hosted this fall at the Oklahoma state Capitol.

Each year, individuals and organizations are recognized for their unique contributions to the arts in their communities or across the state. Nominations are encouraged from communities of all sizes and regions of Oklahoma.

Awards are presented in several categories, including business, community service, education, media, and public service (local and state government officials), and the prestigious Governor's Award.

Click here to learn more or to submit a nomination.

Four Oklahoma organizations earn Artistic Innovation grants

Four Oklahoma arts organizations have earned grants from the Mid-America Arts Alliance to support the creation of new work through Mid-America's Artistic Innovations grant program. Each organization will receive $15,000 to underwrite direct expenses related to the art-making process and public premiere of the work.
Recipients include:

  • Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa for Woven Matters, which includes the creation and exhibition of new work by Cherokee artists

  • Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) for Momentum Spotlight, which will commission six young artists to create new projects

  • Perpetual Motion Modern Dance for Rebound, an original concert performance that will intertwine modern and aerial dance with film technology

  • Tulsa Symphony for Muskogee Song Cycle, a new orchestration of a cycle of Creek Indian hymns by Chickasaw/Creek composer Jerod Tate

Funding for Mid-America's Artistic Innovations program is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Mid-America Arts Alliance programs are made possible in Oklahoma through a partnership with the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Look for your opportunity to apply for the grant program this fall, with letters of intent due in January 2015. For more information, click here.

Funding for Music Preservation and Research

Each year, the GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program awards funding to organizations and individuals for music preservation and research projects. The foundation has reached out to the Oklahoma Arts Council to help inform Oklahoma organizations about the opportunity to apply for this year's cycle of grants.
Projects can include:

  • Archiving and preserving the music and recorded sound heritage of North America

  • Research related to the impact of music on the human condition

Letters of Inquiry are due by October 1, 2014. Visit the GRAMMY Foundation website for details.

Allied Arts offering support for educational outreach and capacity building

Allied Arts of Central Oklahoma is offering support for Educational Outreach programs and Capacity Building efforts to eligible nonprofit organizations in a 10-county region of central Oklahoma.

The Educational Outreach program provides funding for projects for underserved K-12 students, including scholarships for art camps, transportation costs for students to visit exhibits, funding for artists to visit schools, and afterschool art activities.

Capacity Building Grants can help arts and cultural organizations better serve through their constituents by supporting first-time audits, consultant fees for strategic planning, and professional development opportunities like the Oklahoma Arts Conference.

Fall deadline for both is August 14. Spring deadline is January 15. Visit the Allied Arts website for application forms.

Special $1,000 grant available from Mid-America Arts Alliance for traveling exhibitions

Made possible by the Hearst Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mid-America Arts Alliance has announced a special grant opportunity for cultural organizations to host one of its ExhibitsUSA traveling exhibits through June 30, 2016. Grants of $1,000 per venue are available for expenses related to education and public programming.

Examples of types of program support include:

  • Fees to engage a scholar for a lecture related to an exhibition

  • Fees to engage a teaching artist to lead a workshop for K-12 students

  • Financial support to create and produce education and public exhibition materials for engaging visitors and deepening knowledge

Organizations must apply no less than 90 days prior to the opening date of their ExhibitsUSA exhibition. For more information, or to learn about the online submission process, click here.

Council approves Performing Artist Roster additions

Members of the Oklahoma Arts Council Governor-appointed board approved two new additions to the Oklahoma Performing Artist Roster in June. The Council is pleased to welcome Adam & Kizzie from Oklahoma City and Richard Hart from the western Oklahoma community of Cheyenne to the roster.

Through the roster, the Oklahoma Arts Council provides a vetted resource list of professional artists who are available for performances in communities across the state. Artists on the roster include some Oklahoma's finest soloists, orchestras and ensembles in music, theatre and dance.

Interested in applying for the Performing Artist Roster? Click here for more information.