Oklahoma Arts Council News
August 2024
State Budget Agreement and the Arts
July marked the start of the new state fiscal year (FY25), which followed the approval of the state budget by Oklahoma legislative leaders and Governor Kevin Stitt. The budget included an appropriation of $3,952,325 for the Oklahoma Arts Council. The amount is $200,000 more than FY24, however the additional funds are restricted, directed by the Legislature for specific uses by the agency. State leaders had previously emphasized that spending for most agencies would likely remain flat. Given the inflationary environment, the agency will be operating on a flat budget for FY25.
Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples commented on the agency's budget, explaining how it will affect expenditures this year.
"Our FY25 state appropriation includes one-time funding measures specifically directed by the Legislature for arts education initiatives that are priority areas for our agency, and for the reopening of the Betty Price Gallery for the State Art Collection at the Capitol," said Sharples. "The structure of this year's appropriation for our agency translates into a small reduction in our operating budget, however we appreciate the efforts of state leaders to address these two needs."
Fiscal year 2025 began July 1, 2024, and runs through June 30, 2025.
Other Legislative Action: Fine Arts Displaced in New Graduation Requirements
In another legislative action affecting the arts, new high school graduation requirements were signed into law adding an extra year of math and making fine arts and foreign language optional—a unit of fine arts was a requirement previously. Read about the updated graduation requirements and learn what some educators are saying about it.
NEW! Grant Program Launched to Support Creative Aging
Since 2021, through its Oklahoma Creative Aging Initiative, the Oklahoma Arts Council has steadily laid groundwork for expanding capacity across the state for organizations to serve older adults. With initial support from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, the initiative has featured virtual trainings, sessions at the Oklahoma Arts Conference, and two full-day professional development opportunities centered on creative aging.
Creative Aging Partnership Grants are the latest offering through the initiative. Made possible by a recent grant award to the Oklahoma Arts Council from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), the grant provides up to $15,000 in funding for creative aging programming such as classes, residencies, and workshops led by teaching artists.
In addition to funding, organizations receive training by participating in a three-day online Creative Aging Academy led by Lifetime Arts.
Funding is available to 501c3 nonprofit organizations; city, county, state, and tribal governments; colleges and universities; and public library branches.
Learn more about the new grant program. Deadline to apply is September 16.
Register for Upcoming Kickstart 66 Tour Stops in Sapulpa, Arcadia
Two more stops are planned in 2024 for the Kickstart 66 Tour, a community and economic development program designed to bring resources from a variety of statewide entities to Oklahomans who live along and near the historic highway. Stops include September 12 in Sapulpa and October 3 in Arcadia.
Driven by the Oklahoma Arts Council and Oklahoma Main Street Center—both members of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission—tour stops feature presentations by nearly a dozen partner organizations including the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma Museums Associations, and others.
Owners of businesses along Route 66 along with local government officials, nonprofit organizations, museums, historical societies, tribal nation representatives, artists, chambers of commerce, volunteers, and other local stakeholders are encouraged to attend. There is no cost to attend.
Reserve a seat here for an upcoming Kickstart 66 Tour stop. Previous stops included Miami in April and Clinton in May.
The Kickstart 66 Tour supports the mission of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell.
To Apply for OAC Grants, Register a User Account in Fluxx
Those individuals who manage grants on behalf of their organizations but have not yet registered for a user account in the Oklahoma Arts Council's new grant portal, Fluxx, are encouraged to do so if their organizations plan to seek grant funding from the agency.
Starting this fiscal year (FY2025), which began July 1, the agency is managing its grants through Fluxx. The online platform is designed to improve the application and award management process for grantees while streamlining grants-related activities for agency staff.
To register a user account and verify your organization, allowing you to access your organization's grant applications and reports, go to okarts.fluxx.io.
NOTE: Be sure to add @fluxx.io to your email safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications.
For related questions, contact grants@arts.ok.gov.
OAC Contributes to NASAA Report on Serving Native Communities
A publication released by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in July outlines the organization's new initiative focused on helping state arts agencies strengthen relationships with Native constituencies.
Profiled in the publication are recent efforts by the Oklahoma Arts Council. The state is one of 12 highlighted by NASAA to show how agencies are adapting programs and partnerships through thoughtful engagement to support Native communities. NASAA specifically brings attention to the Oklahoma Arts Council's strategic approach, which has included concerted efforts to integrate Native expertise across the agency's programs and services. Results of a survey of Native cultural practitioners and artists commissioned by the Oklahoma Arts Council are also summarized by NASAA.
In addition to the 12 states profiled, the NASAA publication provides key learnings and action recommendations. They reiterate that there is no single formula for success, stressing every situation is unique in representing a confluence of different cultural, georaphic, and capacity factors.
Click here to download NASAA's "Strengthening State Arts Agency Relationships with Native Communities."
Artists Can Submit Portfolios for State Capitol Exhibitions
One of the ways the Oklahoma Arts Council supports the work of current artists in our state is by curating exhibitions of visual art at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The Capitol is home to three temporary rotating gallery spaces—the North, East, and Governor's galleries—where works of art have been displayed for decades for the enjoyment of Oklahoma families, students on fields trips, Capitol employees, elected officials, and visitors to our state from around the world.
On hiatus in recent years during the building's restoration, Capitol gallery exhibitions are returning in earnest, with the Oklahoma Arts Council now seeking portfolio submissions from artists across the state interested in showing their art at the Capitol. For the first time, with new pedestals available, exhibitions can include ceramics, fiber art, jewelry, glass art, beadwork, and other three-dimensional works.
A portfolio submission form is available on the Oklahoma Arts Council website. In addition to artistic excellence and artistic merit, factors taken into consideration in the selection of artists include the artist's connection to the state, professional status, physical nature of the artwork in relation to the exhibit space, and statewide representation. Exhibitions rotate every 60 days.
Learn more about Capitol gallery exhibitions here.
How Your Community Can Host the 2025 Oklahoma Arts Conference
The next Oklahoma Arts Conference will take place in fall 2025, and in the coming months, the Oklahoma Arts Council will select a community to host the convening of hundreds from the state's arts sector.
Communities that host the conference benefit from the influx of people who book hotel rooms and patronize area restaurants and businesses. The host also receives significant exposure statewide and beyond through marketing efforts for the conference.
Now through August 15, communities interested in hosting the event can submit a proposal outlining their vision for serving as host. Among the requirements for hosting are hotel rooms for up to 350 guests; a large room or banquet room for general sessions; at least four breakout session spaces; related audio/visual capabilities; and catering options. Proposals should include a list of stakeholders who could be included on the community committee, and examples of artists and programs that could be featured. Proposals must be submitted online here. Required support materials include price quotes and at least one letter of support.
Click here to submit a proposal to host the 2025 Oklahoma Arts Conference.
Center for Cultural Innovation Offers Artist Funding for Tools, Equipment
Open to individual craft artists, craftspeople, and folk and traditional artists nationwide, the Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program offers grant awards between $1,000 and $5,000 that recipients can use to purchase tools, materials, or equipment that support their ability to make object-based work.
With funding awarded through a competitive process, applications should show the artist's sustained commitment to a craft, and they should demonstrate how the funding would provide the applicant with pivotal support.
Deadline for submitting applications is September 4 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
Two Oklahoma Organizations Awarded Artistic Innovations Grants
Two programs from Oklahoma have been awarded Artistic Innovations grants from Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). Available across the M-AAA six-state region, which includes Oklahoma, the grant program supports the work of individual artists and arts-based nonprofit organizations, encouraging exploration and experimentation in the creation of new, original works. Project must include a community engagement component.
Awards of $15,000 were announced for Arts Maker LLC of Pawhuska and Canterbury Voices of Oklahoma City. Art Maker LLC's grant will support their presentation of the Osage fable, "Coyote and the Ant," accompanied by modern symphonic music, Osage language narration, and expressive ballet. Canterbury Voices' grant will support their world premiere of Jarod Impichchaachaaha' Tate's groundbreaking opera project, "LOCKSI' SHAALI'" (Shell Shaker), about the journey of the Chickasaw-Choctaw migration.
Thirteen projects were awarded across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. See the announcement to learn more about this grant program.
Arts Job: OAC Seeks Arts Education Assistant
The Oklahoma Arts Council is seeking a new Arts Education Assistant to add to the agency's dedicated team of public servants. This position provides support for the agency's school-based education programs and community-based learning programs, serving as a point of contact for schools and organizations seeking grant funding.
Among the agency's programs the position supports are the Oklahoma Creative Aging Initiative, for which the Arts Education Assistant assists in the facilitation of reports, payments, record management, invoicing, and more.
The Arts Education Assistant position is a temporary position made possible in part by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Discovery Grant. The position is full-time through the duration of the three-year TSET grant period.
Applications for the position must be submitted at jobs.ok.gov.
Kristie Buergler Elected Oklahoma Arts Council Chairs
Kristie Buergler of Nichols Hills was voted in as the new chair of the Oklahoma Arts Council. Her term as chair, leading the agency's 15-member Governor-appointed governing body, began July 1. Buergler was originally appointed by Governor Stitt to the Council in 2019, and was reappointed in 2022. She recently served as the Council's vice-chair.
Tracie Chapman's Term Ends
After two terms on the governing body of the Oklahoma Arts Council, including service as Council chair in fiscal year 2024, Tracie Chapman's six-year tenure ended in June. A resident of Mannsville in rural southern Oklahoma, Chapman's leadership on behalf of the Council over the past year was integral to securing and awarding a historic $10 million investment of pandemic funding for the arts sector. She also helped bring to fruition the Medal of Honor plaque in the Hall of Heroes at the Oklahoma State Capitol, which she helped dedicate during a spring 2024 event.
New Council Members
Joining the Council for three-year terms that began July 1 are John Kennedy and Saxon Allton of Oklahoma City. Kennedy, former Oklahoma Secretary of State, is a real estate developer who has championed arts and education in his business and volunteer work. Allton, who has a background in radio DJing, sales, and government, serves as special advisor to Governor Stitt.