Multi-talented artist, Al Bostick is known nationally for his work as an actor, choreographer, director, playwright, visual artist, and storyteller. Al has been inspired by the arts of his African culture since his high school days in Louisiana, where he would go on to study theatre, acting and directing at Grambling State University. In 1973 he received his bachelor’s degree and shortly afterward made the decision to move to Oklahoma in order to continue his studies in theatre at the University of Oklahoma. During his studies, Al would receive awards Outstanding Student in Theatre, Best Supporting Actor and an Outstanding Young Men in America award. He has since received honors such as a Governor’s Arts Award in education, a recipient of a Citation of Excellence from the Oklahoma House of Representatives and a spot in Who’s Who in America.
Bostick is well known for his multifaceted, award-winning creative career and also for his contributions to the local arts community. He has been an instructor at the Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, supported the Neighborhood Arts Program, been artist-in-residence for the City Arts Center and for more than a decade he was an instructor and artistic director at Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) in Oklahoma City. In 1989 he also founded renaissance arts organization, Basically Bostick Project, Inc, in Oklahoma City, where he continues his work. Al explains that “… any time you look at visual art it’s a still life of life, and this how we reflect and keep our histories”. To this day, he has always advocated for the importance of culture and diversity in our artistic communities.