Eyakem Gulilat 05/06/2021

Eyakem Gulilat discusses his experiences with art starting from his childhood in Ethiopia and Kenya, through college at Abilene Christian and the University of Oklahoma, and eventually to his current position as cultural development coordinator and director of folk and traditional arts with the Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC). He recalls early memories of art in Ethiopia watching tribal dances on television. However, Gulilat notes that he never developed a true interest in art until later on in college after taking an elective art course for an engineering degree. He talks about coming to the United States as a teenager and studying photography and earning an MFA at the University of Oklahoma as well as his current pursuit of a PhD in city planning. He describes how his research interests led him to his current position with the Oklahoma Arts Council. Gulilat discusses his role as director and the ways that the OAC supports women immigrant artists and the culture of art in Oklahoma overall. He shares some of the projects that the Oklahoma Arts Council oversees including festivals and grants and describes some of the challenges they have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic such as securing funding and difficulties establishing new relationships.