Tulsa Artist Fellowship, located in the heart of Oklahoma’s Green Country, is an initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF). Using evidence-based practices, GKFF invests in a culturally vibrant and economically robust Tulsa with the belief that a thriving community will afford high quality opportunities for all residents.
With GKFF’s strong belief that the arts are essential to a diverse and engaged city, Tulsa Artist Fellowship was established in 2015 as a program dedicated to addressing the most pressing challenges in artistic communities and serving as a globally recognized model for mobilizing communities with the transformative power of art.
Photo credit: Melissa Lukenbaugh | Photo: Harjo working in her Archer Building studio
Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a place-based, durational award focused on supporting independent arts practitioners. Our studio facilities and housing are integrated into a vibrant cultural district with galleries and performance venues, green space, independent retailers, and restaurants. Fellowship awards are merit, not project-based, where arts professionals are gifted autonomy to explore and expand their creative practices. While the size of our residency is variant, participant capacity averages 50 contemporary artists and arts workers with a diverse range of artistic disciplines. This critical mass of artistic practitioners has proven to be one of our program’s greatest offerings. Participants are encouraged to engage in critical dialogue and skill share among their artistic colleagues through monthly gatherings and annual institutes.
Photo credit: Julianne Clark | Photo: Linzy performing at turnaround, a TAF community-engagement project
Realizing GKFF’s vision grounded in social change, Tulsa Artist Fellowship is committed to fostering an equitable environment where a diverse and inclusive community of artists and arts workers have the opportunity to thrive professionally. Our institutional model is reflective and responsive. We acknowledge that a significant number of artistic practitioners are unable to secure the time required to actualize their creative projects in tandem with maintaining stable housing and studio spaces. In response, Tulsa Artist Fellowship strives to remove these barriers by providing program participants with three core areas of support:
Photo credit: Melissa Lukenbaugh | Photo: Ahmad working in her Archer Building studio
The City of Tulsa is deeply shaped by its rich Native American cultural landscape. TAF is dedicated to celebrating and supporting Native arts and specifically reserves multiple Fellowship awards for Native American artists following the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 as a guideline.
Photo credit: Melissa Lukenbaugh | Photo: Fields working clay in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship Ceramics Workshop
Tulsa Artist Fellowship applications are reviewed by a national panel of arts professionals, past award recipients and Fellowship stakeholders. We are seeking a diverse community of artistic practitioners who are dedicated to their creatives practices and demonstrate an ability to thrive in our program’s unique facilities and culture.
Photo credit: Melissa Lukenbaugh | Photo: Steve Bellin-Oka working in his Detroit Building studio
Photo credit: Destiny Green | Photo: Candace Wiley and Ari Christopher performing at WORKS/IN/PROCESS series
Tulsa Artist Fellows are expected to live, make, and intentionally engage with our city. Community engagement touchpoints occur through a variety of internal and external programming; examples include First Friday open studios, public readings, discursive events and performances. The arts are highly valued and celebrated in Tulsa. Here, you’ll find socially-engaged citizens and institutions that are open to new ideas and eager to support progress.
Photo credit: Julianne Clark | Photo: McNeil reading at TAF Writers' Project, a community-engagement initiative