Tulsa Artist Fellowship to offer 30 new fellowships and more than $1 million for second cohort

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- George Kaiser Family Foundation has announced they are expanding their national artist fellowship program--the Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF)--during its second year to include writers. With the inaugural class of visual artists beginning their fellowships this month, the TAF is now accepting applications for 2017. Awarding up to 30 new fellowships totaling over $1 million in stipends, free housing and free workspace for the second cohort, the TAF will continue to enhance Tulsa, Oklahoma's growing art scene. 

"We are thrilled to expand our fellowship program to include writers," said Stanton Doyle, senior program officer at George Kaiser Family Foundation. "With our inaugural class of 12 visual artists now living and working in Tulsa, we look forward to expanding our program in 2017. Moving forward, we hope to provide more artists the opportunity to fine tune their craft through the TAF across a variety of disciplines." 

The 12 visual artists in the inaugural class assembled from all over the United States, including Brooklyn, San Francisco, Juneau and Baltimore. Living in new downtown Tulsa lofts, the artists were selected from an applicant pool of over 300.

Open to local and national artists in the disciplines of writing and visual arts, the TAF fellows will be awarded a stipend, free housing and studio workspace, if applicable. All fellowships are merit-based grants, not project grants, and fellows will be expected to integrate into the local community by participating in local programs, symposiums and more. 

In an effort to continue growing and shaping Tulsa's vibrant arts community, nonresident artists will be required to live in provided housing in Tulsa's Brady Arts District. For each discipline category (visual artists and writers) up to 15 fellowships will be awarded based on the quality of entries. 

TAF: Visual Artists

• Fellows will be awarded a $20,000 unrestricted stipend with free downtown housing and workspace during Year One. Year Two is optional and will include a stipend of $7,500 plus free housing and workspace.
• The program will reserve some of the fellowship positions for Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian artists. A screening committee and selection panel will follow the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 as a guideline in awarding Native American artists a fellowship.
• Eligible applicants will be reviewed by a national panel comprised of Kathleen Ash-Milby, Andy Grundberg, Monica Ramirez-Montagut, Jane Sauer, and Marilyn Zapf.

TAF: Writers

• Fellows will be awarded a $20,000 unrestricted stipend with free downtown housing for Year One of the two-year fellowship. During Year Two, fellows will receive a $12,500 unrestricted stipend and continued free private housing.
• In its inaugural year, TAF: Writers will focus on creative nonfiction, fiction, graphic novel, young-adult fiction, poetry and play/screen writing.
• Eligible applicants will be reviewed by a national panel comprised of experts in the field.

A coordinating committee consisting of local leaders in the Tulsa arts community will screen all fellowship applications for eligibility and coordinate community programs for the fellows during their time in Tulsa. 

Applications for the TAF 2017 are due on March 4, 2016, and fellows will be announced on June 1, 2016. The fellowship will begin on January 9, 2017. To learn more about the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and apply, visit www.TulsaArtistFellowship.org. 

About Tulsa Artist Fellowship
The Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a program established by the George Kaiser Family Foundation to enhance the local art scene by retaining and recruiting artists to Tulsa. In its second year, Tulsa Artist Fellowship will provide fellowships in two categories: Visual Arts and Writing. Fellowships are merit-based, not project grants, with a one-year term for Visual Artist and two-year terms for Writers.

For more information, visit http://www.tulsaartistfellowship.org.  

SOURCE George Kaiser Family Foundation