Oklahoma Arts Council News

Arts Marketing, Advocacy, the Focus of 2011 Conference

Planning for the 2011 Oklahoma Arts Conference continues, and this month we're pleased to roll out the theme, Greater than the Sum: Sharing a United Vision for the Arts. Led by industry experts, sessions will focus on marketing and public relations, community development, arts advocacy, arts management and more.

Featured presenters will include:

• Alyson Stanfield, an arts marketing consultant whose expertise will benefit artists and organizations.
  
• Tom Barnett, a former city planner who helped revitalize Paducah, Kentucky through the arts. (Read an ABC News article about Paducah's transformation).

Make plans to attend:

2011 Oklahoma Arts Conference
Greater than the Sum: Sharing a United Vision for the Arts
October 26 & 27
Tulsa, OK

Gang Prevention through the Arts

An Oklahoma City Police Department program is using the arts to stop kids from joining gangs. Through a new partnership with the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Oklahoma City Police Department's gang prevention program, Family Awareness and Community Teamwork (FACT), is giving area youth opportunities for mentorship and hands-on learning in the arts at two Oklahoma City community centers. The program, which intervenes with at-risk youth before they become embedded in local gangs is making an impact.

"Our partnership with the Oklahoma City Police Department on the FACT program uses the power of the arts and the mentorship of quality teaching artists to capture the attention of these kids," said director of arts education programs, Michael Eddens. "Through the opportunity to express themselves and be heard, and by harnessing their creativity they are developing skills that will allow them to contribute positively to their community."

Read the NewsOK article about the program!

How Arts Organizations Use Social Media

Most of you are like us when it comes to using social media: We know we should be using it because of its cost effectiveness in reaching audiences, but we haven't seen any good research about the topic. Well, now is your chance to be part of the solution...

Trudel | MacPherson, an arts consulting organization in New York City has contacted us about a new survey they are doing titled, "How Strong is Your Social Net?" The survey is being conducted to help arts organizations navigate the quickly evolving landscape of social media. The company has asked that we let arts and cultural organizations in Oklahoma know about the opportunity to provide valuable feedback.

Please consider answering a few short questions about your social media use and help all of us know how and why its use is vital to success in the arts in the age of connectedness.

Click here to take the survey - it will only take about 10 minutes! (Only for Oklahoma arts & cultural organizations)

All responses are kept confidential. Results specific to Oklahoma and nationwide findings will be provided to the Oklahoma Arts Council.

Grant Deadline Reminder

Local Government Challenge Grant applications are due May 15. Click here for more information about the grant.

For questions or assistance please contact Kim McCoy, director of cultural development and public policy at (405) 521-2013 or kim.mccoy@arts.ok.gov.

Networking Forum for Artists - May 5

Artists, arts leaders, students and others are invited to join us in Alva on May 5 for the next Regional Networking Forum for Artists. We will be partnering with the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) to talk about how our grants and programs can benefit artists.

The free forum, titled, "Knowledge is Power," will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Click here for details.