The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is proud to support the ArtNow 2023 Focus Awards presented by Oklahoma Contemporary on Thursday, January 11 at 6 p.m.
This year’s ArtNow Focus Award honoree is Indigenous artist and filmmaker Sterlin Harjo (“Reservation Dogs”) who will be recognized for his groundbreaking work through film that celebrates, uplifts and challenges notions of what it means to be Native.
“We are overjoyed to be giving the ArtNow 2023 Focus Award to Sterlin Harjo for his commitment and contribution to the arts in Oklahoma and beyond,” said Guest Curator Lindsay Aveilhé. “As a film director, screenwriter, show runner and artist, Harjo has pushed the boundaries of representational storytelling, moving the dial for generations of artists to come.”
Harjo, an Oklahoma-based artist of Seminole/Muscogee descent, will be the second recipient to be honored with the ArtNow Focus Award, in part for his masterful storytelling and artistry displayed through his Oklahoma-centered filmography including “Four Sheets to the Wind” (2007), “Cepanvkuce Tutcenen” (2009), “Barking Water” (2009), “This May Be the Last Time” (2014), “Mekko” (2015) and “Reservation Dogs” among other creative works. Connie Seaborn, artist and daughter of the late Bert Seabourn who received the first award in 2021, will present this year’s award to Harjo.
“Throughout his career, Sterlin Harjo has been a champion for Oklahoma film and television through his work, which has helped further develop and elevate our local industry in so many ways,” said OF+MO Director Jeanette Stanton. “We’re honored to support and join Oklahoma Contemporary in their recognition of all Sterlin has accomplished thus far, and we look forward to everything that is to come from this incredible talent.”
The ArtNow Awards Ceremony event will include a reception, artist talk with Harjo and allow audiences to tour Oklahoma Contemporary’s latest exhibit ArtNow: The Soul Is a Wanderer, which features an installation by Harjo among 13 other cross-generational artists before the exhibit ends later this month.
Tickets to attend this event are available now and audiences can also livestream Harjo’s artist talk via Oklahoma Contemporary’s YouTube channel.
For more information, visit Oklahoma Contemporary ArtNow Awards.
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About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office:
Under the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) works to promote the state as a viable hub for film, television and music production as well as further develop opportunities for workforce, business and community growth within these sectors. For more information on the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, including the state’s film incentives and additional resources, visit okfilmmusic.org.