The Arts Council of Oklahoma City is a nonprofit 501 C(3) organization that is dedicated to bringing the arts and the community together through free and low-cost large-scale downtown Oklahoma City cultural events and a variety of arts outreach activities that impact under-served populations.
The idea of bringing the arts and the community together began in 1967 with the first Festival of the Arts. Over the past 45 years, the Arts Council of Oklahoma City has grown to present some the community's favorite events and performances, including Opening Night, Oklahoma City Storytelling Festival, and Sunday Twilight Concert Series. The Arts Council's Community Arts Programs teach Oklahoma City's youngest, oldest and most under-served artists to dance, sing, sculpt, paint, create and interact with professional teaching artists. Out of the Box is a series of street performances, bringing the performing arts to Oklahoma City's busiest urban areas. The newest program is Art Moves, presented by Devon, which provides free art demonstrations, performances, music and dance every day of the work week.
We focus on bringing the arts and the community together through free and low-cost arts programming. We are proud to expose our community to a variety of art forms at little or no cost. All of our programs focus on teaching, learning, and appreciating the arts. They help the residents of our city learn to create, experience, and enjoy art.
We strongly believe in involving the local community in the arts. The key to our success is our volunteers. When serving audiences as large as 50,000 to 750,000 people, it is crucial to have passionate and capable volunteers. Annual events are planned year-round using staff and volunteer resources to insure they are well-planned and well-promoted. Not only do we expose Oklahoma City’s residents to art, but we also include nearly 6,000 volunteers from our community in our programs. These volunteers' vision, planning and hard work are integral to accomplish our mission of bringing the arts and the community together.
Our programming exposes nearly one million people to the arts each year. The projects of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City are diverse in many ways, bringing a wide range of art forms to the community- music performance, visual art displays, interactive art exhibits, and arts education. We also attract a diverse audience. Thanks to our free or low-cost admissions, people from all corners of the community are able to attend our programs and events and experience the arts.
The Arts Council’s projects are long-standing events that bring people together. Our events, like Festival of the Arts and Opening Night, are anticipated by the community each year. They drive citizens to the heart of our city- Downtown. These projects are something the residents of Oklahoma City are proud of and enjoy visiting each year. Most importantly, these projects help our city learn to experience, appreciate, and love art.
Arts Council of Oklahoma City
400 W. California
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 270-4848 Fax (405) 270-4888
