Vision Arts 2022 Grantees Announced

6/29/2022

The City of Tulsa, Tulsa City Council, and the Tulsa Arts Commission are pleased to announce the selected VISION Arts 2022 grantees. The program provides $150,000 in grants to local nonprofit arts, humanities, and cultural organizations. 

“Tulsa’s arts organizations are critical institutions in our community. They play a key role in our city’s vibrancy, promote creativity, and improve the quality of life for our residents,” Mayor G.T. Bynum said. “That level of excitement for the arts also encourages more developers and businesses to consider our world-class city.” 

Vision Arts supports organizations and activities that provide quality arts and cultural programming to the citizens of Tulsa while simultaneously promoting and encouraging tourism and economic development throughout the city.  

Funds for the program are made possible through the Vision Tulsa economic development package approved by Tulsa voters in April 2016.  

Awardees were required to specify how their proposal will promote tourism or have an economic impact within Tulsa. The proposals were based upon the following: 

• A single event, performance, project, and/or work of art; OR 
• A series of events, performances, and/or works of art that are promoted and marketed as a single integrated occurrence, OR 
• Another initiative of an arts organization featuring demonstrable economic impacts or the promotion of cultural tourism. 

Two City Councilors served on the Independent Review Panel which assisted the Arts Commission in the review process.  

“We live in a community that loves, art, that uplifts a variety of art forms, that supports artists, and strives to keep Tulsa creative,” Council Chair Lori Decter Wright said. “Art is a multi-million-dollar pillar of our local economy, and these publicly funded grants help to ensure that we can continue to attract visitors to our city from near and far, as well as provide our citizens with opportunities to fully express our shared human experience.”

“I am so happy and honored to be involved in this process. Art and music can simultaneously educate and unite people. These organizations are being awarded for helping bring people together for a greater Tulsa,” Councilor and Vice-Chair Crista Patrick said.  

“The Tulsa Arts Commission is very excited to be granting these organizations some support for their amazing efforts to provide art and culture to the citizens of Tulsa, Oklahoma,” Pam Deatherage, Arts Commission Chair said. “Thank you to the citizens of Tulsa for their support in approving the funding for Vision Tulsa! Congratulations to the Vision Arts grant recipients!” 

The program will invest a total of $115,000 in ten organizations whose annual donations do not exceed $400,000/year: 

• $60,000 to six performing arts organizations:     
• $5,000 to AHHA Tulsa             
• $12,500 to American Theatre Company 
• $10,000 to Choregus Productions          
• $10,000 to Heller Theatre Company     
• $10,000 to Theatre North          
• $12,500 to Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust                          
   
• $30,000 to two Main Street Festival Programming organizations:         
• $15,000 to East Tulsa Main Street dba Tulsa Global District     
• $15,000 to Kendall Whittier Main Street, Inc.    
   
• $15,000 to one culturally focused institution: 
• $15,000 to The Church Studio Music Foundation         
   
• $10,000 to one film or media organization: 
• $10,000 to Tulsa Inclusive Entertainment, Inc. 

Additionally, the program will invest a total of $35,000 in two larger organizations whose annual donations equal to or exceed $400,000/year: 

• $15,000 to one art museum: 
• $15,000 to Philbrook Museum of Art, Inc.
   
• $20,000 to one art gallery: 
• $20,000 to Living Arts of Tulsa 

About Vision Tulsa 

Vision Tulsa, an $884 million sales tax renewal package approved by voters in 2016, is making substantial investments in economic development, education, public safety, streets, and transportation needs citywide. With citizen priorities providing the driving force behind the creation of Vision Tulsa, transformative projects and enhancements are setting the stage for a bright future for Tulsa.