Arts and Humanities

Why the Arts & Humanities?

Oklahoma Arts Council:  Oklahoma’s Nonprofit Arts & Culture:

• Has a direct impact of $314.8 million
• Supports 10,156 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs 
• Generates $29.4 million in local & state government revenue
• Events attract 5.2 million audience members

Value

• Oklahomans for the Arts: 
  • Support funding of the Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC), efficiently administers with a low ratio of overhead to expense
    • Makes up less than 0.04% of the state's budget
    • Strengthens education, community development & the economy
      • Every $1 of public funding invested from OAC grant, returns $8 in state & local tax revenue. 
      • Public funds from OAC grant leverages more community support, $1 generates $14 in private match.
      • Mobilizes more than 29,000 volunteers who donate almost 850,000 hours annually
      • OAC grants leverage of important arts education across the state. In 2015:
        • 17,670 students participated in 62 projects in 57 schools in 34 different communities
        • 142,593 youth participated in community-based arts activites across the state
        • OAC's budget impacts teaching artists in schools, the performing artist roster, after school arts programs, community arts education and more.

Film Production: Every $1 a production company spends in a community, results in $1.72 back to the community.

Cultural Tourism: Lawton’s unique and diverse culture attracts visitors from many countries around the world.

Children’s Education: Children who participate in the arts are less likely to have problems in school and have a measure  of success in other areas of life.

• Improved student achievement

• Better attendance

• Lower misconduct rates

• Increased parental involvement

• Problem solving skills

• "Who Knew? Arts Education Fuels the Economy" by By Sunil Iyengar and Ayanna Hudson, Published March 10, 2017 in the Chronical of Higher Education

  • In 2011, arts education added $7.6-billion to the nation’s GDP.
  •  In that year alone, arts education as an industry employed 17,900 workers whose salaries and wages totaled $5.9-billion.
  •  For every dollar consumers spend on arts education, an additional 56 cents is generated elsewhere in the U.S. economy.

Access and Opportunity: A study of successful artists found that they all had access and opportunities in the arts.

• Oklahoma Arts Institute - Oklahoma’s Official School of the Arts

Preservation of Culture and Heritage: Priceless!!!!

Our office serves to support various City of Lawton trusts, boards and committees.

• Lawton Arts & Humanities Council, Public Trust, click links to see "Programs" and other information 
  • International Festival Committee

• Lawton Enhancement Trust Authority, Public Trust
  • Lawton - Ft. Sill Freedom Festival Committee
  • Lawton Beautiful Awards Gala Committee
  • Cultural Preservation Committee

• McMahon Auditorium Authority, Public Trust

Billie A. Whipp, Administrator 

Sharon Cheatwood, Arts Coordinator

Andrea Morman, McMahon Memorial Auditorium Coordinator

Tereasa Neeley, Administrative Assistant

Broderick Jackson II, Maintenance Technician

Stavis Morman, House Manager

Manuel Smith Jr., Maintenance Technician (part time)

Local

• Arts for All, Inc. 425 SW B Ave, Lawton, OK 73501, Tel:580-248-5384, Email: afa425@att.net, Web: http://www.lawtonafa.org

• Business Development Center, Great Plains Technology Center, (Arts Incubator, Commercial Kitchen, Small Manufacturing and more...) 1604 SW Parkridge Blvd, Lawton, OK, Tele: 580-250-5519, Cody Holt, Business Center Coordinator, email: cholt@greatplains.edu 

State and Regional

• Oklahoma Arts Council, P.O. Box 52001-2001, Oklahoma City, OK 73152-2001, 405-521-2931, email: okarts@arts.ok.gov, website: www.arts.ok.gov   Note that select programming is made possible in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council.

• Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), 7403 N. Kelley Ave., OKC, OK 73111, Tel: 405- 848-8501 or 800-879-6382, www.oeta.tv

• Oklahoma Film & Music Office, 900 N. Stiles Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73104, Tel: 405-230-8440 In State, 800-766-3456 Toll-Free, 405-230-8650 Fax, Website: www.ok.gov/oklahomafilm

• Oklahomans For The Arts, 405-887-3515, www.oklahomansforthearts.org

• Oklahoma Humanities 428 W. California, Ste. 270, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, Tel: 405- 235-0280, Fax: 405-235-0289, www.okhumanities.org

• Oklahoma Museum Association 2020 Remington Place, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111, Tel: 405-424-7757, email: info@okmuseums.org, web: www.okmuseums.org

• Southwest Performing Arts Presenters (SWPAP), http://swpap.org

National and Federal

• Americans for the Arts www.americansforthearts.org

• National Endowments for the Arts www.arts.gov

• National Endowment for the Humanities www.neh.gov