On Wednesday, a good chunk of our staff spent an hour or two representing Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma at Arts Day at the Capitol. Lyric has been attending this advocacy event for the past three years, and it is something we look forward to every year! Why? Well…
1) We see arts organizations from across the state!
There were groups from Alva, Tulsa, Enid, Oklahoma City, and more present. It was truly a statewide gathering of Oklahomans showing their personal and organizational support for the arts.
2) We learn more about what’s going on in our community.
I spent time Wednesday afternoon speaking to a lovely representative from Oklahoma A+ Schools. She took the time to explain to me what they’re doing in schools across our great state, and how the arts play into that. I was unfamiliar with their programming before yesterday afternoon, and now I’m fascinated by it! Experiences like that are exactly why Arts Day is enjoyed around here.
3) There’s lots and lots of treats.
Everyone brings their best treats to give away. You can casually walk around and grab a treat from every table, and talk about other groups’ mission and programming while you’re at it!
4) We display the impact and reach to those who govern Oklahoma.
For the past several years, there has been a legislative threat to shutter the Oklahoma Arts Council. The Arts Council provides funding to organizations statewide; without this funding, many organizations in smaller communities simply wouldn’t exist. Their impact is even felt on Lyric; see why in the graphic below.
5) We catch up with our arts colleagues.
The arts communinity in Oklahoma is tightly knit. Sometimes, our only chance to see our friends from other groups is at events exactly like this. It’s really nice to spend the time checking in with our colleauges and seeing what they’re up to at their respective organizations.
Arts Day at the Capitol 2014 was really exceptional; we’re already looking forward to 2015!
