About

MISSION
The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa is the champion for area arts and culture in Eastern Oklahoma. Diverse education programs advance its mission to inspire creativity, foster appreciation, promote lifelong learning, enhance the quality of individual lives, and contribute economic vitality to the greater community. The Council partners with arts organizations, individual artists, patrons, school districts, educators, community groups, businesses and government. The Council seeks to nurture innovation, artistic quality and professional development; broaden public and private support of the arts; and introduce the arts and humanities to new audiences. The Council is among the largest privately funded local arts agencies in the region and depends upon support from private foundations, corporations and individuals for its annual operation.

ABOUT THE COUNCIL
The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa seeks to make the arts accessible to all of Tulsa’s diverse populations.  Our vision is to see that 100% of Tulsa’s school-aged children have access to arts and humanities education in school, afterschool, during the summer and on weekends.  We design and implement creative arts programs that promote positive communication and self-esteem.  Our workshops support public school curricula by providing teachers with skills to help students meet state Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) art objectives.

The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa develops and implements successful arts education programs for nearly 127,000 children in grades K-12, youth and adults in Tulsa each year. Through direct involvement with the arts and extended engagement in the artistic process our programs foster imagination, critical thinking, self-expression, and a life-long passion for the arts.

Most of our programs focus on at-risk and underserved communities.  We deliver programs to places where they are most needed: after school care, residency and safe homes, juvenile centers, and community centers.  AHCT endeavors to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience the arts regardless of ability or socio-economic circumstance.

Enriching the lives of children, youth and adults by engaging them in artistic and cultural activities is a core element of AHCT’s work.  Our approach incorporates a student-centered process that engages each individual in activities involving perception, cognition, and creativity.  This approach has generated some of our most outstanding successes as we continue to expand our programs and create a culturally-aware community.

ABOUT THE HARDESTY ARTS CENTER
The Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa Hardesty Arts Center, fondly known as AHHA, opened in December 2012 and is the home of the Arts & Humanities Council of Tulsa in the heart of the Brady Arts District in downtown Tulsa. Offering exhibition space, classrooms, a family studio, woodshop, darkroom, rooftop artist studios, and event space, creativity is truly at the core of the building.

AHHA internally organizes and supports traveling, guest-curated, and collaborative exhibitions organized with area artists and organizations.  A broad range of themes, styles and mediums will present the best exhibitions of interest to the Tulsa community.  Long-term residencies at AHHA introduce students to new art forms and reach the broader community through exhibitions.

Area artists have the opportunity to propose innovative and exciting public classes and workshops for youth and adults.  Traditional and new mediums are supported in state-of-the-art classrooms including 2D, 3D, and 4D processes, a media lab, and an entire photography suite. Community art classes are taught by area artists and educators.