Oklahoma Arts Council News
March 2019
2019 Governor's Arts Awards Honorees Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 5, 2019) - The Oklahoma Arts Council has announced the names of 17 individuals and one organization that will be honored for their contributions to the arts in Oklahoma during the 43rd Governor’s Arts Awards on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
The awards will be presented by Governor Kevin Stitt during a special ceremony beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the fourth floor rotunda at the Oklahoma State Capitol. A reception will follow in the first floor rotunda outside the Betty Price Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
OFTA's Oklahoma Arts Day at the Capitol Set for April 3
Oklahoma's nonprofit arts advocacy organization, Oklahomans for the Arts (OFTA), is inviting individuals and organizations involved in the arts statewide to participate in their 2019 Oklahoma Arts Day, April 3 at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The event gives artists, nonprofit arts organizations, museum leaders, board members, educators, and others the opportunity to meet with their legislators to highlight the value of the arts in their local communities and schools. Attendees can attend all or part of the day's activities. The schedule for 2019 will be available soon. To register, or to learn more, visit ok4arts.org.
Register by March 15 for OUIQC Placemaking Conference
The University of Oklahoma's Institute for Quality Communities is hosting its biennial Placemaking Conference on Monday, April 1, 2019 at the Catlett Music Center located on the university's campus in Norman. Community development professionals, civic leaders, students, and advocates will be in attendance at the event. This year's focus is on strategies for using the built environment to empower people to advance the social, economic, and environmental well-being of their towns and cities.
Featured presenters will include nationally known figures including Rick Lowe, whose visionary public art project in Houston transformed a long-neglected neighborhood. Among Oklahoma-based presenters are former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, author of The Next American City, and Jill Brown DeLozier of Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership, who will highlight a recent Southwest Airlines grant her organization received for placemaking efforts involving public art. Leadership Arts graduate Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid is also slated to present.
Registration is $35 (student registration is free). Register at iqc.ou.edu by March 15.
Challenge America Grants for Small and Mid-Sized Organizations
Primarily available to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that serve underserved populations, Challenge America grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) help extend the reach of the arts to those whose opportunities are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.
Through April 11, the NEA is accepting Challenge America grant applications for projects that involve either the presentation of a guest artist, a collaborative marketing campaign featuring multiple entities, or a public art project that includes meaningful community engagement.
Challenge America grants are fixed $10,000 grants that require a 1:1 match.
For more information, visit the NEA website, email challengeamerica@arts.gov, or call 202-682-5700.
RELATED: NEA announces grants for four Oklahoma organizations.
Fellowships Available for Young Poets
Poets between the ages of 21 and 31 can apply for the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship program through April 30. The program encourages young poets to further their study and writing of poetry, providing selected fellows with $25,800 each.
Applications require poets to submit a 250-word introduction to their work, 10 pages of poems, a publication list, and other materials.
Finalists will be notified by email no later than August 1, and winners will be announced September 1. The program is sponsored by the Poetry Foundation.
2019 Governor's Arts Awards Honorees Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 5, 2019) - The Oklahoma Arts Council has announced the names of 17 individuals and one organization that will be honored for their contributions to the arts in Oklahoma during the 43rd Governor’s Arts Awards on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
The awards will be presented by Governor Kevin Stitt during a special ceremony beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the fourth floor rotunda at the Oklahoma State Capitol. A reception will follow in the first floor rotunda outside the Betty Price Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
Guide for Inclusive Arts-Based Engagement in Cultural Institutions
In serving a "uniquely diverse, ethnic, cultural, and international community," the Queens Museum in New York City recently created a guide that cultural institutions can download and use in achieving inclusive arts-based engagement. Their Paving New Ways to Exploration in Cultural Institutions (PAVE) publication is aimed at inspiring confidence and awareness in visitor-oriented staff and guides.
Grounded in best practices in early learning and parent education, the initiative was undertaken by the museum to strengthen their community ties. Their goal was to ensure engaging and accessible experiences for families with young children with diverse abilities from varied social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. The guide offers tools for making personal connections, considering kinetic experiences, setting up flexible spaces, working with families, and more.
As Oklahoma cultural organizations strive to serve all members of their communities through the arts, they are encouraged to reference the PAVE guide and similar resources..
Rural Economic Development Innovation Initiative
Through the Rural Economic Development Innovation program, rural Oklahoma communities and regions with 50,000 or fewer people may apply for free technical assistance to develop and implement economic development plans. Offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program incorporates the help of several national "cooperator" organizations with experience in building rural capacity. Cooperating partners help selected applicants convene partners, identify challenges and opportunities, and create and implement actionable economic development plans.
Eligible communities involved in the Oklahoma Arts Council's Cultural District Initiative are also encouraged to look into this opportunity.
Deadline for applications is April 5, 2019. Information on applying is available here.
City of Oklahoma City Hires Artist-in-Residence
The City of Oklahoma City has launched a new artist-in-residence program that will feature an artist working in a studio at City Hall. Artist Erica Bonavida has been selected to serve in the capacity throughout 2019. In her role, she will work on site for at least 12 hours per week and plan and present quarterly public education and engagement activities.
On a municipal level, artists-in-residence bring new knowledge, ideas, and experience while offering greater opportunities for citizens and visitors to be engaged with local government.
The program, which is managed by the Oklahoma City Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, is intended to promote and accelerate the arts within the Oklahoma City community. Following a three-year trial of the program, the city will decide whether to make it permanent.
Bonavida was selected from among candidates from the city's pre-qualified artist pool, which is part of its public art program. She will receive a stipend paid through the city's general funds.
Read more about the City of Oklahoma City's new artist-in-residence program.
VSA Program Offers Awards to Young Musicians with Disabilities
Young musicians ages 14-25 with disabilities can apply for the 2019 VSA International Young Soloists Competition through March 29. Selected winners will receive $2,000 and the opportunity to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Soloists and ensembles of any instrument or genre can apply.
Applications require a narrative of up to 250 words, and media files of three audio or video musical selections. Selected winners must be able to attend the VSA International Young Soloists Events and Performance, July 24-26 in Washington, D.C.
AAM Calls for Applications for DEAI Fellowship Program
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has announced a call for applications for a new fellowship program aimed at building expertise in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) among museum leadership.
Taking place between May 2019 and December 2021, the program will provide fellows with advanced DEAI professional development and the opportunity to receive their Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) certification.
Fellows are given stipends totaling $12,500 in year one and $25,000 per year for years two and three.
Candidates can anticipate needing to commit 40 hours per month to the fellowship, and some travel is required (eligible travel expenses will be covered).
Application materials must be submitted by March 19.
Oklahoma Arts Council Welcomes Jana Staples to Staff
The Oklahoma Arts Council is pleased to welcome Jana Staples as its new Executive and Finance Assistant. Staples joins the agency after having served eight years as Director of Special Projects for Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. In her previous position, she was in charge of events such as the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting, an annual dinner for statewide nonprofit organizations, and the planning and coordination of the Capitol Centennial Celebration. Among her projects, she assisted with the commissioning of a bronze bust of Governor Fallin for the Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection and the first commissioned paintings of the State Capitol and Governor's Mansion. Staples also served as Executive Director of Friends of the Mansion where her duties included the oversight of daily operations, and special event coordination and preservations projects of the Governor's Mansion and its grounds.
In her new role, Staples acts as assistant to the Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director and supports the agency's financial administration and management.
Staples can be reached at jana.staples@arts.ok.gov or (405) 521-2853.