BIO

 BIOGRAPHY

Douglas Shaw Elder is a sculptor, community arts leader, and advocate for arts education based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he relocated his studio in 2024. His work explores layered landscapes and the geological, ecological, and cultural histories of the Great Plains.

Elder served for 15 years as Executive Director of the Firehouse Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma, where he led community arts initiatives, exhibitions, and education programs, and built partnerships among artists, educators, and civic organizations. During his tenure, he organized large-scale installations and collaborative projects, including presentations at the Oklahoma Creativity Forum and the Oklahoma Arts Conference.

He has taught at multiple universities and presented on creativity and innovation on national and international stages, including speaking engagements at the University of Sydney, the Sarkeys Southwest Regional Leadership Conference, the War, Literature and the Arts Conference at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Oklahoma Governor’s Veteran Services Symposium.

Elder was selected for a travel fellowship to Arezzo, Italy, where he produced a series of works exhibited in Italy and the United States. He has also been actively involved in developing and promoting healing arts programs for military veterans. As both an artist and veteran, he has traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for visual arts programming and the Arts and Military Initiative.