I was rejected from the Tulsa Artist Fellowship for the 2021 cycle. It seemed like a golden ticket unlike any opportunity I’ve ever seen in the arts. It was advertised as $40,000 per year for two years with health insurance as an artist in residence in Tulsa, OK with a free studio and apartment in the Greenwood District. Public programming and exhibitions would drive the artist’s personal projects and new creations. I have wanted to relocate to Tulsa, OK and grow in my roots, but financial support is crucial, so this rejection was a huge disappointment.

All that glitters is not gold and as my application progressed (or didn’t progress), I saw grime in Tulsa Artist Fellowship. As a direct descendant of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, I take great offense with TAF pandering about the tragedy, and taking up space in Greenwood, while snubbing me personally after I reached out. This was just one glaring issue that revealed itself.

I received my generic rejection letter from Tulsa Artist Fellowship in April almost immediately after I made a comment on Instagram asking for a follow-up to my application. I attempted to contact the company via email and social media with no response from them. Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a company owned by lawyer Frederick Dorwart and funded by the George Kaiser Foundation. I contacted both to no avail, so I have since filed a complaint with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Citizen Complaint Department. The fine details of my complaint will be contained to my case moving forward, but I hope to secure a genuine response and resolution.

Have a Pleasant Day
-Rae Pleasant

As I kept researching TAF, I realized my experience was just a taste of the dysfunction within. Several artists have left the program early due to outrageously unprofessional treatment from the director, Carolyn Sickles. Please hear the stories from the brave artists themselves, specifically Naima Lowe.

Read the article about the problems in TAF and watch the virtual meeting between the artists who have spoken out. Self-advocacy is activism.