Ahha Tulsa, Hardesty Arts Center closing

Jason Cleary, vice president for communication and advocacy for the ahha Tulsa board of directors, said in an email, “We have made the difficult decision to announce the closure of ahha’s Hardesty Arts Center on Friday, November 4, including ceasing the operations of our programs for now.

“We are working closely with our partners to ensure we find a long-term future for some of our programs and do this as quickly as possible,” Cleary said in the email.

“We’re wanting to get the word out to our artists, partners, and vendors as quickly as possible to let them know the situation,” Cleary said, adding that those with immediate questions should send them to ahhaTulsaOK@gmail.com.

The Hardesty Arts Center currently has on display exhibits that include its immersive installation “The Experience,” “Kings Mouth,” an interactive work created by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, and “Sticker Book” by Julie Alpert.

The Hardesty Arts Center opened in the Tulsa Arts District in 2012 as the new headquarters for the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa, which began in 1961.

The center houses offices, galleries and classrooms as well as a darkroom, a printmaking suite and artist studios.

Ahha Tulsa’s major outreach programs include Artists in the Schools, Community Arts Partnerships, and Any Given Child-Tulsa, which the center said reached more than 130,000 school children, youths and adults in the greater Tulsa area.

“We thank our employees, guests, donors and partners for more than 60 years of support and look forward to bringing our programs back to continue our focus on keeping Tulsa creative,” Cleary said in the email.

2020 video: Sneak peek of Together from ahha Tulsa