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Sunset at Roman Nose State Park

COVID-19 Response

Leading the Arts and Cultural Sector through the Pandemic


The Oklahoma Arts Council’s role as the official state government agency for the arts and its leadership position in service to thousands of Oklahomans in the arts and cultural sector statewide have been critical during COVID-19. The Governor-appointed Oklahoma Arts Council board and the agency’s staff have been responsible for administering vital federal aid made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the National Endowment for the Arts and Oklahoma Governor J. Kevin Stitt. Hundreds of arts and cultural organizations in every part of the state have received urgently needed financial support as a result of the more than $3.4 million in CARES Act funding administered by the Oklahoma Arts Council. The support has been essential to bolstering a sector that will play an important role in the state's recovery from the pandemic. Because of the inherent nature of the arts in bringing people together, when the pandemic began in March 2020, arts and cultural programs were among the first events canceled, resulting in significant losses in revenue. Arts and cultural programs will be among the last to safely and fully resume. Financial support provided to the sector has saved untold jobs and stabilized countless organizations.

Read about the impact of COVID-19 in our state in "COVID-19 and the Creative Economy in Oklahoma," a publication of Americans for the Arts.

Throughout the pandemic, the Oklahoma Arts Council has fulfilled through a variety of actions its leadership obligations on behalf of the State of Oklahoma. Actions have included:

Grants

 

Programs

 

Convenings (Virtual)

 

News and Information

 

Educational Resources