ONEAL
Oklahoma’s New and Emerging Arts Leaders
In November 2008, with the assistance of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and NBC Bank, the Oklahoma Arts Council launched ONEAL (Oklahoma’s New and Emerging Arts Leaders). ONEAL is a free, independent statewide network for arts leaders age 35 and under OR those that have less than five years of experience in arts administration or the business of arts. The ONEAL network provides peer support and resources for Oklahoma’s new and emerging arts leaders, and the ever growing group represents the next wave of leadership for the arts in Oklahoma.
The members of ONEAL represent an eclectic group of individuals - artists, gallery owners, educators, college students, arts administrators, community volunteers, musicians, performers, writers, tribal and cultural representatives and creative entrepreneurs. As diverse as the group is, they share one basic trait - a common desire to work collectively to ensure that the arts continue to grow and thrive in Oklahoma.
Since the 2008 Oklahoma Arts Conference, a small task force of ONEAL members was appointed and members are working together to advance the entire network, ensuring that ONEAL is represented in small and large communities across Oklahoma. The task force is in the process of setting up a blog for the group and collecting names and contact information of participants to create a directory of ONEAL members.
Key issues the group is working to address include:
- how to identify mentors
- how to advocate for support of the arts
- identifying resources
- how to actively connect with other arts leaders making things happen statewide
- working with communities interested in hosting ONEAL events around the state
ONEAL currently maintains a page on Facebook touting over 200 members that serves as an online forum for discussions, job announcements and other resources. ONEAL is also recognized as one of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Networks and the task force is interested in sharing national resources with local ONEAL members. ONEAL has a newly formed partnership with ArtBeat Magazine, and in addition to a free monthly ad for ONEAL, the magazine includes a monthly article by an ONEAL member as a regular feature.
For more information, please contact Oklahoma Arts Council Arts Learning in Communities Director Molly O’Connor at 405-521-2025.
Being in the ONEAL network helps provide a great sense of belonging to Oklahoma and the State’s growing culture. It gives people the opportunity to connect and grow together at early stages of their careers and identify obstacles we face and come up with viable solutions as well as share in our continued successes. ONEAL brings people together so that we may help increase one of Oklahoma’s greatest resources – the arts.
-James Wallace, Performing Arts Coordinator, Chickasaw Nation