Program areas at OHC
Oklahoma Humanities grants encourage cultural programming on the local level across the state. Eligible projects must support the councils mission to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life.
Free of advocacy and advertising and supported by donors, the award-winning Oklahoma Humanities magazine is distributed in print and online as free educational programming. From public policy issues to cultural heritage, it provides an engaging forum for new ideas and productive civil discoursea rich mix of humanities scholarship, insightful narratives, and informed opinions for a read that is smart, balanced, educational, and entertaining. It reaches all 77 counties and has a circulation of 12,000 with additional public distribution through classrooms and selected events. Previous authors include N. Scott Momaday, Walter Isaacson, Krista Tippett, Bryan Stevenson, Michael Sandel, Naomi Shihab Nye, and more.
Support for various programs and free public events produced by the Council. (Some expenses in this category may apply to other listed programs, but the expenses are not directly attributable based on cost center like salary or office rent.)
Since 1985, Oklahomans have started new chapters and new conversations with OHs dynamic book club program, Lets Talk About It (LTAI). Hosted by libraries and other organizations, each LTAI series uses four or five books to explore a specific theme developed by a humanities scholar. Combined with presentations from literary experts, LTAI catalyzes meaningful conversation and encourages readers to reflect on their experiences, share thoughts and ideas, consider diverse perspectives, and gain new insight.
A More Perfect Union: America at 250 examines the evolution of the United States, its democratic principles, and what it means to be an American as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Using historical and contemporary experiences, this initiative includes diverse perspectives from Native Americans, African Americans, and others who have been underrepresented in our shared narrative. Oklahoma-specific programming includes: three new themes developed for OHs book club, Lets Talk About It; curated online resources including BrainBox podcast episodes and more than 100 articles from Oklahoma Humanities magazine; and collaboration with Oklahomas National History Day and the Oklahoma Historical Society. It is part of a larger initiative launched and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Since 1994, the Smithsonian Institutions Museum on Main Street (MoMS) has worked with State Humanities Councils to empower more than 1,800 rural communities through specifically designed exhibitions and public programming. Hosted by libraries, museums, and other community centers, each explores elements of rural history, encourages discussion and participation, and helps establish local agency. In 2021, Crossroads: Change in Rural America arrived in Oklahoma and traveled to Tishomingo, Fort Gibson, Nowata, Woodward, Pawnee, and Boley. Small towns might seem static and quiet, but they are complex intersections where people and ideas converge and evolve. Through the themes of identity, land, community, persistence, and managing change, the exhibition examined this history and asked visitors to consider how and why their specific communities have changed and what the future might bring.