The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) announces the THRIVE Grants awardees, funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation’s Regional Regranting Program. THRIVE Grants aim to further support artists’ innovation throughout Oklahoma with project grants of up to $10,000 for artist-led initiatives. These grants provide support for ambitious, impactful, and innovative visual arts projects that are collaborative and engage the community. All projects occur across the state of Oklahoma and are open and accessible to the public.

Selection prioritized projects with career impact, artistic merit, community engagement, and collaboration. Here are the awardees for this cycle: Carly Treece (Tulsa, OK), Alicia Smith (Tulsa, OK), Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Ada, OK), Danny Sands (Oklahoma City, OK), Laurel Grimes, Graycianne Bennett, Elise Boulanger, Micah Grimes, and Grace Snyder (Norman, OK), and Elizabeth Feahther Henley (Tulsa, OK).

THRIVE GRANTS 2026 AWARDEES & PROJECTS:

Carly Treece / Tulsa, Oklahoma
Roots Run Deep
Roots Run Deep is a new body of work by Mvskoke artist Carly Treece exploring the relationships between southeastern Indigenous peoples and culturally significant plants through contemporary abstract painting. Developed in collaboration with Indigenous plant knowledge holders, elders, and cultural practitioners, the project pairs large-scale oil and cold wax paintings with sensory and educational experiences. By bringing together art, research, and community knowledge, Treece invites visitors to learn about Indigenous plant relatives, stewardship, and the enduring connections between people, plants, and the land.

Alicia Smith / Tulsa, Oklahoma
Toci
Toci is a seven-part video art piece by Alicia Smith that tells the story of a group of Aztec women who escape the colonization of Mexico by flying a pyramid to Mars and establishing a space colony with the help of their gods, plants, animals, and insects. Chapter 4, The Mushroom Bearers, serves as the centerpiece of the project and celebrates Two-Spirit medicine traditions and kinship ties extending from Oklahoma to Mexico and beyond.

Chase Kahwinhut Earles /Ada, Oklahoma
Bridging the Gap: Oklahoma Clay
Bridging the Gap: Oklahoma Clay connects non-Native participants with Caddo culture through Indigenous Futurism and hands-on engagement with native Oklahoma clay. Across four small workshops, Chase Kahwinhut Earles will guide participants in digging and processing clay, creating ceramic works, and pit-firing them using traditional methods. The resulting pieces, created by both Native and non-Native participants, will reflect shared contemporary experiences, respect, and future cooperation, culminating in a public exhibition at an Oklahoma museum.

Danny Sands // Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Seminole: Culture, Color, Community
Contemporary Indigenous artist and educator Danny Sands, a citizen of the Seminole Nation, will create a vibrant public mural in Seminole, Oklahoma. The project will celebrate Indigenous identity, community pride, and cultural visibility while creating a welcoming landmark for residents and visitors. Inspired by authentic Seminole community voices and traditions, the project will culminate in a public unveiling and community celebration. As Sands’ first independently led large-scale mural, the project represents a significant milestone in his artistic career while transforming a public space through the power of public art and cultural storytelling.

Laurel Grimes, Graycianne Bennett, Elise Boulanger, Micah Grimes, and Grace Snyder /Norman, Oklahoma
Clay/Bodies
Clay/Bodies explores how living South/Eastern Indigenous communities connect to ancestors and future relatives and maintain their identities throughout removal and migration through direct, physical interaction with earth, clay, and land. In July 2026, a group of South/Eastern Indigenous women artists, scholars, and community members traveled to various mounds and sites where their communities ancestrally lived. Back in Oklahoma, the artists approach ancestral methods and visual languages while processing natural clays in Indian Territory to create earthenware ceramics that bridge the gap between homelands, removal experiences, and new relationships with the land.

Elizabeth Feahther Henley /Tulsa, Oklahoma
Brims of Boley
Elizabeth Feahther Henley will lead Brims of Boley, a large-scale public art installation debuting during the Historic Boley Rodeo in May 2027. The project will invite Oklahoma artists to transform blank cowboy hats into original works of art inspired by Black Cowboy Culture, horses, rodeos, western landscapes, and the legacy of Boley. Installed at the rodeo, the hats will create an immersive visual experience that bridges contemporary art and cultural heritage. The exhibition will celebrate Oklahoma’s Black Western legacy while expanding arts opportunities for emerging artists.