Image courtesy of Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Photo by Melissa Lukenbaugh.
April 2, 2025 – Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF), a place-based, durational award dedicated to supporting visionary arts practitioners, is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the 2026-2028 Tulsa Artist Fellowship award term on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The commencement of this upcoming cohort will bring the place-based residency program to its fully expanded award structure, which began during its 2024-2026 inaugural term, awarding thirty artists and arts workers who will overlap in their first, second, and third award years. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
TAF opens applications for artists and arts workers of any medium or discipline with at least five years of experience in the field via tulsaartistfellowship.org. Ten selected awardees, announced later in 2025, will each receive a $150,000 stipend over three years, along with a $12,000 annual housing stipend, $1,200 yearly health stipend, $1,200 yearly studio assistant stipend, a $1,500 relocation stipend, fully subsidized studio spaces, and access to shared artmaking facilities. In total, the cohort will receive over $2.35 million in support and resources.
Carolyn Sickles, Executive and Artistic Director of TAF, states, "Through art, we uncover deeper truths, forged through time and perseverance. The stewards of our cultural narrative ensure that these voices continue to shape the stories that define us. At the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, we aim to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the artistic experience, fostering trust and enabling creativity to thrive."
TAF annually appoints arts experts across the United States, representing various artistic disciplines, to join the application review process. Reviewers, including art world key players, visionary artists and arts workers, past award recipients, and essential Tulsa Artist Fellowship stakeholders, evaluate submissions independently and identify top candidates to interview. Individuals with outreach-specific roles support the open call submission by leveraging their network of experienced creatives to help identify eligible candidates. This structure deepens the Tulsa Artist Fellowship’s connection to the expansive communities and practices that constitute the field of art.
Current awardees of the residency are working on deeply impactful projects that engage with history, community, and social justice in profound ways. Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s Always and Forever is a permanent public art installation honoring Black life in Oklahoma, transforming an isolated site into a living monument through sound, imagery, and community storytelling. Pardiss Kebriaei’s Seeing Incarceration explores the spatial and systemic impact of incarceration in Oklahoma through visual mapping, community discussions, and a forthcoming book on its public health effects. Kashona Notah’s Indian Towns is a novel examining four U.S. cities with significant Native populations, including Tulsa, as hubs of Indigenous life and resilience. These projects highlight the residency’s commitment to fostering artistically compelling and socially relevant work, making it an ideal opportunity for those looking to create meaningful, research-driven work with community impact.
To Apply for Tulsa Artist Fellowship 2025-2027 Award Term: https://tulsaartistfellowship.org/award Application Period: April 2—May 29, 2025