Oklahoma: Arts and Military Initiative

The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) kicked off its new Arts and the Military Initiative in February when it deployed a survey to assess the existing connections between the state’s arts and military communities as well as to determine what it can do to multiply and strengthen them. According to the survey results, there is a pronounced need for greater arts engagement with the military. Of the 400 respondents representing 86 cities and 51 counties, 85% indicated being unaware of arts based programming reaching service members or their families. In response, OAC now is partnering with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a pilot program to enrich the arts programming of the Norman Veterans Center. OAC anticipates that the pilot—which aims to bolster the center’s arts instruction, exhibitions and events—not only will help train teaching artists but also will demonstrate how public agencies, nonprofit organizations and community groups can best serve veterans, active-duty service members (including guardsmen and reservists) and their families through the arts. For additional details, contact OAC Arts Learning in Communities Director Chandra Boyd.