From a mural festival that celebrates underrepresented artists to the regional premiere of a popular play about the U.S. Constitution, six Oklahoma organizations are receiving National Endowment for the Arts grants totaling $105,000 to support an eclectic array of initiatives.
The National Endowment for the Arts, or NEA, marked the New Year by recently announcing more than 1,400 grants adding up to almost $36.8 million to support the arts in communities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
"The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country's vibrant arts sector and communities of all types," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson in an email.
"It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place -- those that address our past and help us consider our future, integrate arts and culture in new ways into our lives and communities, and provide powerful opportunities for people throughout our nation to come together through a shared arts experience."
Established by Congress in 1965, the federal agency is awarding the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and Enid Public Schools Challenge America grants.
Challenge America grants support a wide variety of projects designed to extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups that may have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economic status and/or disability:
Four Oklahoma nonprofit organizations -- Sunny Dayz Mural Festival, Oklahoma Arts Institute, Oklahoma City Repertory Theater and Tulsa Glassblowing School -- are receiving Grants for Arts Projects.
Through its Grants for Arts Projects, the NEA provides "expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation's arts and cultural ecosystem," including opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education:
The Oklahoma City-based nonprofit Sunny Dayz Inc. garnered its grant to put on the 2025 Sunny Dayz Mural Festival, which is set for May 31 in OKC's Historic Capitol Hill district.
The Sunny Dayz Mural Festival empowers, elevates and celebrates underrepresented artists -- with a focus on women and gender minority artists -- through public art, professional development and community building.
Since its inception in 2021, Sunny Dayz has partnered with more than 50 Oklahoma businesses and institutions to deliver free educational programming and community-building events, engaged 46 local teens in a mentorship program and hired 176 muralists, who have created 121 new murals across four different Sooner State communities: OKC, Edmond, Tulsa and Ponca City.
"We are deeply thankful for the support of the NEA in helping to fund our mission," said Virginia Sitzes, Sunny Dayz founder and president, in an email.
"This funding will go directly to supporting the 2025 Sunny Dayz Mural Fest, which will bring over 50 artists to the Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill district of Oklahoma City to create 30-plus new murals."
The award-winning professional regional theater received NEA support for its spring production of "What the Constitution Means to Me" by Heidi Schreck.
Also known as OKC Rep, the theater is continuing its 2024-2025 season, which consists entirely of regional premieres, with its April 3-13 production of Schreck's acclaimed play at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center's Te Ata Theater.
"We're really excited about the show. We think this show needs to happen in Oklahoma City, and I'm just thrilled that the NEA wanted to put their support behind it," said OKC Rep Executive Artistic Director Emily Comisar.
In "What the Constitution Means to Me," Schreck resurrects her teenage self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that changed their lives. A 2019 Broadway hit, the show was the most produced play in American theater in 2023.
OKC Rep's production will star Oklahoma Broadway, movie and television actor Annie Funke ("Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" ).
The OKC-based nonprofit received the Sooner State's largest single NEA grant in this round to support its long-running Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.
Billed as "Oklahoma's Official School of the Arts," the institute is an intensive, nationally recognized two-week residential school that offers state high school students the chance to study with renowned professional artists in eight artistic disciplines: acting, chorus, drawing and painting, film and video, creative writing, dance, orchestra and photography.
Each selected student receives a scholarship to attend. The 2025 institute is set for June 14-29 at Quartz Mountain State Park & Lodge in Lone Wolf. Applications are open through Feb. 17 at oaiquartz.org/OSAI.
"The support we receive from the National Endowment for the Arts is not only integral to ensure we can continue to provide exceptional educational experiences to Oklahoma's young artists, but it's meaningful for us to know that the NEA values the programming we provide," said Emily Claudé, Oklahoma Arts Institute vice president and director of programs, in an email.
"It's a privilege to be recognized among so many other outstanding organizations across the country."