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Oklahoma Arts Conference

2021 Oklahoma Arts Conference


Conference Schedule
Pre-conference
Wednesday, October 27, 2021		Thursday, October 28, 2021Friday, October 29, 2021
9:00am - 9:45am Welcome to Muskgoee
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room E & F
Presenters: Jordyn Jorgenson - Presenter, ShIron Butterfly Ray - Presenter
Join your Muskogee hosts as they welcome you to the 2021 Oklahoma Arts Conference and provide information on how to make the most of your entire conference experience.
10:00am - 11:30am Hope Rising: An Opening Keynote Talk with Dr. Chan Hellman
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room E & F
Presenters: Chan Hellman - Keynote
The concept of hope has emerged as an essential factor in the well-being of children, adults, and families. During this presentation, Dr. Hellman will discuss the science of hope as a psychological strength in our ability to cope with adversity and traumatic experiences. In particular, this presentation will summarize more than a decade of research that show, (1) hope predicts positive outcomes; (2) hope buffers the effects of adversity; and, (3) hope can be nurtured and sustained.

Participants will learn:

1. The science of hope and its core components that lead to goal attainment
2. How hope can help overcome adversity on the path to well-being
3. Research-based curriculum on strategies to nurture hope in children, adults, and families
11:30am - 1:00pm General Session Luncheon
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Banquet Rooms C & D
Presenters: Barbara McAlister - Featured Performer, Charles Moore - Moderator, Avery Frix - Presenter, Joe Russell Kreger - Presenter, Dewayne Pemberton - Presenter
1:30pm - 2:45pm About the Oklahoma Arts Education Dashboard
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room E
Presenters: Jennifer Allen-Barron - Presenter, Elizabeth Maughan - Presenter
With more than 500 school districts across Oklahoma, how can students, parents, educators, and arts supporters learn about the availability of fine arts education in Oklahoma schools? The Oklahoma Arts Education Data Project provides an interactive dashboard that sheds light on where arts education is offered and where it is needed. Learn how to use this powerful tool to examine access to arts education by grade level, discipline, location, and more. The Oklahoma Arts Education Data Project has been made possible through a partnership with Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahomans for the Arts, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, and the Oklahoma Arts Council.
1:30pm - 2:45pm Creating Inclusion for Creative Folks
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room F
Presenters: Kelli McLoud-Schingen - Featured Presenter
Thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your company? Are you ready? Do you have the foundation necessary to essentially change the current culture of your organization? Diversity, equity, and inclusion is more than bringing in new actors or board members of color, it is about creating a culture of true inclusion and belonging – not assimilation. This session will explore a checklist of “dos and taboos” to measure your organization’s readiness to begin creating a more inclusive culture.
1:30pm - 2:45pm God's Traveling Songs: Multicultural Music of Oklahoma
Location: Roxy Theater, 220 W. Okmulgee Ave.
Room: Theater
Presenters: Dr. Hugh Foley - Presenter, Jackie Jackson (Narcomey) - Presenter, Wotko Long - Presenter
Muscogee hymns are an extremely unique and historic musical art form. The hymns developed in the early 1800s when Scottish missionaries merged their song styles with the melodies of enslaved Africans and the language of Muscogee people. The songs came with the Muscogee people on the relocation to Indian Territory. Several hymns refer to that arduous journey and the suffering that resulted from the forced removal of the Muscogee people from their homeland. The songs continue to live on in the rural churches of the Muscogee Nation. This presentation merges the historic record with oral history of the hymns and will feature live demonstrations of select songs.
1:30pm - 2:45pm On Track for Success: The Story of Muskogee's Depot District Development
Location: Muskogee Little Theatre, 311 S. 3rd Street
Room: Theatre
Presenters: Amy Love - Panelist, Wren Stratton - Panelist, Coni Wetz - Panelist, Mark Wilkerson - Panelist
The Muskogee Depot District and the Depot Green, which serves as an outdoor oasis in the middle of the historic district, are places for people of all backgrounds to enjoy. With increased community ownership and economic growth as goals in the development of the district, the vision for the area required collaboration of several stakeholders, and was prompted through funding from the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Cultural District Development Program. Grants from the program supported the creation of a brand for the district and helped stakeholders secure funding and additional relationships to bring the project to completion. In this session, attendees will hear about the ideation and implementation, including successes and challenges, of one of downtown Muskogee’s newest cultural assets and activity hubs.
1:30pm - 2:45pm Pandemic Power Up: Leading Through Challenging Times
Location: Muskogee Little Theatre, 311 S. 3rd Street
Room: Lobby
Presenters: Jachin Merrill - Featured Presenter
Times are certainly challenging for those in leadership positions. Now, more than ever, we need leaders who know how to power up and lead their teams through the unknown. In this workshop, you’ll learn the top five skills that all leaders need in order to help themselves and their teams navigate even the bumpiest roads. From managing conflict to creating inspiration and alignment, this session will help you learn to embrace the toughest of times, and turn challenges into opportunities.
3:15pm - 4:30pm Building Inclusive Leadership and Branding
Location: Roxy Theater, 220 W. Okmulgee Ave.
Room: Theater
Presenters: Kaitlyn Hardiman, M.A. - Presenter, Jennifer Maynord - Presenter
Join Jennifer Maynord and Kaityln Hardiman from Artio Services as they speak directly to artists and art leaders on how to define inclusive leadership, how leadership affects arts branding, and how to cohesively brand arts movements across the state of Oklahoma. Participants will learn:

What inclusion means and how to apply it internally and externally

How to integrate inclusive leadership

The basics of branding on a personal and organizational level

How to combine leadership and branding for success
3:15pm - 4:30pm Downtown Muskogee: A Landscape of Hope
Location: Muskogee Little Theatre, 311 S. 3rd Street
Room: Theatre
Presenters: Chan Hellman - Presenter, Shawn Michael Schaefer - Presenter
Conducted in 2017 through a partnership between the University of Oklahoma Hope Research Center, the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities, the Urban Design Studio, and the City of Muskogee, the Muskogee Hope Survey set out to measure the impact of hope on the Downtown Muskogee Plan. Planning and urban design seek to set goals for a city's future growth and flourishing. Unlike goals for individual hope, planning and design goals represent a shared vision that requires consensus and trust between individuals and institutions. Like individual hope, it requires pathways and agency for implementation. Learn more about how this survey was conducted through research and community involvement, the role of collective hope in the planning process, and how applying the science of hope may help communities with their own plans.
3:15pm - 4:30pm The Oklahoma Renaissance Festival: 25 Years of Building the Perfect Beast
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room E
Presenters: Sarah Gile - Presenter, Jeff Hiller - Presenter, Christina Ryan - Presenter, Don Ryan - Presenter
Join Don and Christina Ryan from The Castle of Muskogee to learn more about the in-depth creative and artistic work that is required to recruit, train, and prepare artists and actors for six weekends of interactive performance to create an immersive magic for patrons. The cast learns acting, writing, music, dance, stage combat, and costume construction. A 25-year tradition, the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival invites participants to step back into the year 1569 England to experience the royal quest for knighthood, a full-contact jousting tournament, birds of prey exhibitions, and traveling acrobats!
3:15pm - 4:30pm The Power of Personality in Leadership
Location: Muskogee Little Theatre, 311 S. 3rd Street
Room: Lobby
Presenters: Jachin Merrill - Featured Presenter
Effective communication, decision-making, conflict management, and resilience to change: new psychological and behavioral science research is connecting high-impact leadership to an individual’s own unique personality. In this session, you’ll learn to uncover your potential by understanding yourself and those around you on a deeper level. You will also discover how to leverage the unique personalities, strengths, and life experiences of those on your team while learning about the unique powers of your own personality.
3:15pm - 4:30pm The Power of Story
Location: Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
Room: Meeting Room F
Presenters: Kelli McLoud-Schingen - Featured Presenter
As artists, theater makers, and storytellers, we may think that the only stories we tell are on the stage. But, what stories do we tell ourselves? What stories do we lift up? Which stories do we ignore, or simply not hear? This session will examine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our companies through the use of the Storytelling for Social Justice model by Lee Ann Bell.
5:00pm - 7:00pm Opening Reception
Location: Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, 401 S. 3rd Street
Room: Ballroom
You are invited to experience a "Taste of Downtown Muskogee" hosted by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, Main Street Muskogee, and the Muskogee Community Host Committee. The Oklahoma Arts Conference Opening Reception offers attendees a fun time for networking and celebration. Conference guests will be treated to a sampling of Muskogee's most unique downtown restaurants and live music by Michael Rappe. In addition, guests can stroll the Depot District and enjoy interactive arts experiences at the Depot Green, the Three Rivers Museum, and the Blue Rabbit Studio. From 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., the live music will continue outdoors on the dock stage with a performance by Reversing Radio.

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Questions?
For more information contact our Director of Rural and Creative Community Outreach.