The Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF), a place-based arts initiative in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has announced the expansion of its award program. Established in 2015 as a year-long residency, in 2024 the program will select ten artists for a three-year term.
Visitor at Tulsa Artist Fellow Karl Jones’ studio during July First Friday Open Studios. Photo: Melissa Lukenbaugh
With the expanded duration of the fellowship comes an increase in funding and resources. Whereas in previous years artists received a $20,000 stipend, moving forward, artists will be granted a stipend of $150,000 and a housing stipend of $36,000, paid over three-years. Cohort artists will have a fully subsidized studio space located in either Tulsa’s Arts or Greenwood Districts and will also have access to a range of shared facilities, including a ceramics studio, woodshop, media lab, performance rehearsal space, and meeting rooms. Additionally, TAF has expanded award support to include a studio assistant stipend and a health and wellness stipend, each given over three years, as well as access to fitness facilities, childcare reimbursements, and a one-time relocation stipend of $1,500.
In a press release announcing the growth of the program, Carolyn Sickles, TAF’s Executive Director, remarked, “…we are thrilled to expand the residency program with additional support provided to our artist and arts worker award recipients. Mindful of the challenges that artistic practitioners often experience while gathering and sustaining resources, we strive to remove these barriers. Centering the needs of creative community builders and innovators will further our overarching mission of fostering a thriving cultural community in Tulsa.”
According to the TAF website, artists must meet the following qualifications:
– Artists and/or Arts Workers of any medium and/or discipline with a minimum of five-years of arts field experience committed to living and working in Tulsa, Oklahoma full-time for three-award years.
– Awardees commit to actualizing an original project during the three-year program term.
– Applicant must be at least 25 years old and a U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or O-1 Visa holder.
– Previous Tulsa Artist Fellowship awardees are ineligible to reapply for additional award terms.
Additionally, TAF states that successful applications will illustrate the following:
– Applicant has established a rigorous and innovative arts practice
– Making art in Tulsa feels meaningful to the applicant
– Proposed project is forward-thinking, demonstrates impactful community engagement, appears achievable, and will significantly contribute to Tulsa’s arts identity
Applications for the 2024-2026 TAF cohort are due by February 16, 2023. To learn more about the application process and to apply, visit the TAF website.
