Tulsa Artist Fellowship was founded in 2015 with visionary support from the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) and continues to grow alongside the artists and communities it serves.

Tulsa sits on the ancestral homelands of the Osage, Cherokee, and Muscogee Nations. This place holds layered histories of Indigenous presence, forced removal, migration, settlement, racial terror, resilience, and renewal. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, segregation, economic transformation, and ongoing efforts toward repair continue to shape the city’s civic and cultural life.

These histories are not distant—they inform Tulsa today.

Every community is shaped by intertwined stories of belonging and displacement, opportunity and injustice. We believe truth and acknowledgment are essential to building mutual respect and meaningful connections.

Tulsa Artist Fellowship is committed to honoring the full complexity of this place. Through intentional programming, partnerships, and sustained investment in creative practice, we support artists whose work engages history and community with care and rigor. Artists play a vital role in shaping Tulsa’s civic future, and we are committed to strengthening a city grounded in equity, dialogue, and shared cultural life.

Inclusivity is our driving force.

Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a growing community of artists, alumni, collaborators, and audiences. Through exhibitions, readings, performances, and conversations, Fellows contribute to Tulsa’s cultural landscape.