The state of Oklahoma is positioning itself to address significant demographic shifts. The number of Oklahomans aged 65 and older grew by more than 43% between 2000 and 2020, necessitating new strategies for coordinating support systems and facilitating healthy aging for older adults. To help the state respond to these emerging needs, the Oklahoma Arts…
Chief Wilma Mankiller, by Starr Hardridge, Muscogee, from the Oklahoma State Capitol Art Collection. Photo by the Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau, courtesy of the Oklahoma Arts Council Thirty-eight federally recognized tribes reside within Oklahoma’s state borders and account for nearly 13% of the state’s population. To serve this population—which is culturally and historically significant to…
The State of Oklahoma has enacted a landmark $10 million investment in the arts and cultural sector. H.B. 2941 appropriates American Rescue Plan Act funds to create a new Statewide Recovery Special Account that will be used by the Oklahoma Arts Council to fortify local economies through the arts and rebuild a stronger and more…
Capitol art exhibits are a strategy state arts agencies adopt to showcase and celebrate the arts as an important part of state policy and public pride. Exhibiting artworks or cultural events in state capitol buildings helps to raise public awareness about the arts, create visibility for local artists and educate elected officials about the role…
State arts agencies play a vital role in promoting arts opportunities in rural communities that, while rich in cultural assets and traditions, may face geographic or economic barriers to arts development. The Oklahoma Arts Council and the Tennessee Arts Commission recently launched new grant programs designed to advance rural development through the arts, culture and…
“Help Your House” video raises awareness of mental health. Video by Oklahoma House of Representatives, courtesy Oklahoma Museums Association. The posting of this video does not imply endorsement by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The Oklahoma Wellbeing Committee is the result of a new partnership between the Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC), Oklahoma Museums Association, Oklahoma…
The Oklahoma Arts Council recently issued a call for proposals to commission online fine arts teaching modules. Oklahoma teaching artists with demonstrated education experience were recently invited to develop creative curricula that can be used by Oklahoma students, parents and teachers for distance learning as well as in the classroom. The resulting materials will be…
The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) has launched a new web page designed to help artists and arts organizations to recover from natural and other disasters. The Oklahoma Arts Disaster Resource Page features grants, toolkits and other resources from national and regional entities—such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency…
The Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) supports arts programming in alternative high schools in an effort to help at-risk youth engage with their creativity and overcome the challenges they face. Through its Arts in Alternative Education Program—which had been dormant for several years due to budget constraints and was reactivated with funding from the Oklahoma State…
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…
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