Over 14 months, taking 17 separate trips, artist Marilyn Artus planned to travel to all 36 states that ratified the 19th Amendment into law to build Her Flag, a nationwide art and travel project created in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment.

Marilyn collaborated with a woman artist from each of the 36 states that ratified the amendment into law to create an 18- by 26-foot flag. Due to COVID-19, Marilyn got off the road after making it to 25 of the 36 states and began live-streaming the stripe sewing performances from her living room. A massive undertaking under normal circumstances, Marilyn completed Her Flag in August, where it went on to be displayed on the outside of the Clinton Presidential Library.

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In June, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and independent curator, Jennifer Scanlan, organized the Oklahoma Art Crawl, a statewide art crawl across 33 cities that featured more than 225 artists displaying and selling their artwork outdoors. The self-guided, family-friendly event created a safe in-person art experience for artists and visitors.

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When the coronavirus delayed plans for the new nonprofit restaurant concept Waytable, the team used their foundation to raise funds to purchase meals at local restaurants and provide them to those on the front lines of the pandemic. The group has raised $70,946 of their $75,000 goal for their meal support program over the last six months.

The Waytable team includes Ben Nockels, Harlan Hubbard, Andrew Rice, Matt Wills, Ben Poe and Keith Paul.

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After working hard to obtain nonprofit status over the winter, the Paseo Farmers Market took their market online in April, postponing their regular open-air Saturday market until further notice. When they first formed the plan, they had no clue what to expect, but found that from the very first weekend, it was a huge success.

Most of their vendors saw triple the sales they would at an in-person market and the online market will be their new normal way of business, even when they are able to have an in-person market once again.

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When the Oklahoma Gazette took a break from their normal weekly coverage, they sought to use their platform to uplift artists through the Artist and Writer of the Quarantine series. Throughout April, May and June, the OK Gazette showcased the work of 61 artists and 17 writers online.

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Chris Cox founded The House OKC in 2016 as a full-service marketing and entertainment firm and stayed active in the city’s booming restaurant scene. In March, they hosted their first livestream to raise funds for their friends in the food and hospitality industry that lost work due to closures from the pandemic. The team took their expertise in marketing and knowledge in live-streaming and formed the nonprofit The House Helps, and have raised $83,000 to date for displaced workers, social causes and arts organizations.

The House Helps team includes Chris Cox, Michael Steinman III and Eric Waltman.

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By creating whimsical chalk drawings, instituting a “Walk Silly Zone” in Edgemere Park and enlisting artists for solo performances on demand, artist Nicole Poole has stayed busy during the pandemic using her artistic talents to create moments of joy for her neighbors, community and other artists.

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