The Oklahoma Arts Council, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs, announced a new pilot program that will provide visual art, creative writing, and photography workshops led by veterans who are experienced Oklahoma teaching artists at the Norman Veterans Center. They expect to reach over 300 individuals with this new arts education program.

The pilot program “will emphasize sequentially based arts learning opportunities” with select sessions targeted to residents who have dementia, and will also serve family members and caregivers.

The Oklahoma Arts Council launched its Oklahoma Arts and the Military Initiative in early 2015 with the goal to assist community organizations in providing arts-focused programs to the military community. Its newly launched pilot program will also serve as a statewide model to create future training opportunities for Oklahoma teaching artists and will also show how public agencies, nonprofit organizations and community groups can work together to provide services to the state’s military community.