Oklahoma Arts Council highlights ARPA grants, seeks rent relief and staffing funds

Amber Sharples, executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, told the House A&B Subcommittee on Education that the council has distributed $7.955 million of a $10 million ARPA appropriation to 178 nonprofits and that the program has supported arts organizations across 76 of 77 counties.

Sharples described two near‑term budget issues: a recurring rent obligation at the council’s soon‑to‑be Jim Thorpe Building offices and one‑time move and furnishing costs tied to the return. She listed recurring rent of $172,575 and one‑time costs of $97,425 for furnishings and AV. "We are not able to bring back our furnishings that we have now," she said, explaining the agency needs museum‑quality collection storage to care for the Capitol’s artwork.

Sharples told the committee she had been monitoring the federal landscape: she welcomed a U.S. House action that allocated $207 million to the National Endowment for the Arts, a development that reduces the immediate risk of a federal cut that would have trimmed roughly 20% of the council’s budget. She said risk remains until the Senate and the president complete the federal appropriations process.

The council also requested a 6% salary pool aimed at retaining staff amid vacancies, citing multiple open positions including a capital tours manager. Sharples said the agency has used ARPA and other funds to restore programming but that federal uncertainty forced conservative prioritization of spending.

Sharples highlighted planned statewide initiatives including a partnership with the Department of Transportation to deliver roughly $7 million in monumental public art along Route 66 and flagged operational strains related to docent and tour capacity ahead of large events. She said the council aims to safeguard arts education, rural grant programs and its arts‑in‑the‑military initiative if federal support remained stable.

The committee held no vote; Sharples said she would follow up with more detailed handouts and that some items may be revisited in future budget cycles.