Emmy-nominated Sterlin Harjo once again topped many lists in 2024, including Tulsa's Person of the Year! He was also selected as a Tulsan of the Year in 2021, the same year his groundbreaking and critically acclaimed FX series “Reservation Dogs” debuted.
And the wins keep coming. Harjo also received the highly coveted MacArthur Fellowship "Genius Grant". Telling stories about the daily lives of contemporary Native Americans with humor and deep affection, his works reflect the distinct culture of his own Seminole and Muscogee communities in Oklahoma. Harjo is part of a class of 22 artists, writers, historians, scientists and other creatives from across the country to be picked as 2024 MacArthur Fellows by the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Why stop there? Harjo has also been selected as a distinguished visiting artist and affiliate faculty member in The University of Tulsa’s Department of Film Studies through 2026. As a distinguished visiting artist, Harjo will conduct master classes with UTulsa film students. Topics include pitching, writing, and developing a network show, as well as related areas such as casting, directing, and producing. A friend of the film studies program, Harjo served as the fall 2022 University of Tulsa Presidential Lecture Series speaker and hosted UTulsa students at his studio last November for a tour and discussion.
What else can we look forward to from this genius in 2025? Word on the street is Harjo has a documentary, a feature film, and is currently working on an animated film. We're also anticipating the premier of his FX series "The Sensitive Kind" staring Ethan Hawke. What can't this man do!? - Jennifer Jalbert