The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) is excited to announce the awardees of Thrive Grants, a new granting program for artists that celebrates innovation and exploration in the visual arts of Oklahoma. Thrive Grants is funded by and in partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts through their Regional Regranting Program.  

Thrive Grants is an annual program that funds 12 artist-led, collaborative projects from across the state of Oklahoma through grants of $5,000 each. The funded projects must culminate in a public-facing program such as a non-traditional exhibition, performance, screening, or other publicly accessible outcome. Thrive Grants aim to fund artists’ visions and provide creative projects for community engagement.  

All grant applications were reviewed by a selection committee and were scored in categories including: Career Altering Potential, Artistic Merit, Community Impact, and Ability to Complete. Artist projects that create new collaborations, feature BIPOC artists, or serve non-urban communities were prioritized. The selection committee has chosen the following awardees for this cycle: Sarah Ahmad (Tulsa), Ferrell Dixon (Tulsa), John Flores (Tulsa), Shelley Goodmanson (Cashion), Naima Lowe (Tulsa), Tiffany McKnight (Oklahoma City), Lydia Moore (Tulsa), Romy Owens (Enid), Nicole Poole (Oklahoma City), Lauren Rosenfelt (Norman), Amy Sanders De Melo (Tulsa), Virginia Sitzes (Oklahoma City).  

 “The committee was blown away by the creativity of all of the submitted projects and it was a very challenging charge for them to select only twelve,” says executive director, Krystle Kaye. “We encourage the public to follow along with us over the next year as we all watch these powerful and timely projects unfold across the state.”  

At the end of the award period, all of the funded artists will come together to share their projects in a fun, lively presentation. At the end of the presentation event, the awardees for the following year will be announced. For a full timeline and dates, visit thrivegrants.org. 

About OVAC: The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) grows and develops Oklahoma’s visual arts community through education, promotion, connection, and funding. For 32 years as a nonprofit, OVAC has helped Oklahoma artists enrich the state through their creative endeavors.