For nearly 50 years, the Oklahoma Arts Institute has provided unparalleled experiences to high school students from across Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain provides exceptional multidisciplinary arts experiences that develop individual talent and inspire a lifelong passion for the arts.
Held at Quartz Mountain State Park & Lodge in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, OSAI offers an intensive summer program spanning the literary, visual and performing arts.
“We hear time and time again that the multidisciplinary aspect of our programs aids in creating artistic depth to the experience of not just the students of this program, but also the faculty and staff,” explains Stefanie Leland, OAI’s marketing and communications manager.
“Everyone who attends the Summer Arts Institute is immersed in artforms outside of their discipline by participating in community lab classes, attending faculty and guest speaker presentations, student performances, and extracurricular activities outside of their discipline. These opportunities challenge and inform the students of what their idea of art is.”
Through a competitive statewide audition process, over 200 high school students are selected into programs training in the disciplines of acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing and painting, film and video, orchestra, and photography. These students spend two weeks working directly with OSAI faculty artists, which include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy, Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards.
“OAI has sought out the highest-level teaching faculty both nationally and globally since its inception, bringing the best instructors together for two weeks,” she adds. “This level of professionalism helps to create character and confidence in the students. Each day students attend six hours of uninterrupted study in their discipline, allowing for exponential growth in only two short weeks.”
Students may be accepted to attend OSAI more than once, and many attend for consecutive summers. Some choose to study the same discipline each summer, while others explore multiple disciplines from year to year.
“Students who attend the Summer Arts Institute leave the program with an expanded idea of art, which opens doors for them to explore a new art form or to collaborate with other disciplines. Exposing students to unexplored artforms allows the students to see their own art in new ways,” Stefanie concludes.
“OAI is one of many arts organizations helping to propel arts education in the state. We feel that collectively we are enriching the cultural landscape as well as raising awareness for the importance art has in connecting communities.”
All participants receive a full scholarship to attend, which allows students from all backgrounds to grow and learn as both artists and individuals. Below are two talented students from the Oklahoma City area who attended the 48th annual OSAI this past June comment on their experiences.
MYA URIBE, PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT:
From Oklahoma City; student at Norman North High School
I became aware of the Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain through my 11th-grade art instructor, Mrs. Hall. She recommended I apply to the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain with enthusiasm and precaution.
I was amazed by the kind of support, skills and talent with which OSAI nurtures its students. I knew I would have the opportunity to not only thrive alongside some of the best artists in the arts of Oklahoma, but to grow as well. The Oklahoma Summer Art Institute not only shined a light on the passion I have for the arts but also the role I play within my own art community and the kind of impact it can make.
After OSAI, I have realized that all the students share a common challenge within our creative process, and that is refinement. It takes a lot to reach that point of skillfulness, it takes consideration and intention. It takes countless hours learning musical notes, countless unfinished canvas paintings, it takes the understanding of the correlation between light and composition. It takes defeat to realize it takes defeat to grow.
The first year that I was accepted into the Institute, I took it as a sign that let me know that the work that I had been putting into my discipline was not in vain. Being able to represent my Latin community in the arts has been an honor.
More than anything, my first year at Quartz left me with the inspiration and desire to continue investing myself in the arts. I had not only gained friends, connections and memories, but the clear sensation of being a part of a driven community and passionate people who do what they love.
Now, after my second year, I know the artists of our future are at no better place than OSAI. As a young artist representing the Hispanic community, the desire to see more artists rise within my community is stronger than ever.
View photography from Mya Uribe at MyaUribeMedia.mypixieset.com
GRACE HENRY / CREATIVE WRITING STUDENT
From Oklahoma City; student at Casady School
This was my first year, and these two weeks have helped me immensely. When I came to OSAI, I finally got to meet people who write like I do and who genuinely enjoy listening to other people’s poems and written work.
I had an instructor who really cared deeply and appreciated the differences in our creative brains. My instructor let me experience new things, while still letting my personality shine through my writing. He and my classmates have taught me how to workshop, and I learned that I enjoy helping people refine their amazing work. My use of imagery has improved immensely because of this experience.
One thing I have noticed is that there is no “easy” discipline. All of us work so hard in class and outside of class so that we can be proud. I’ve also learned that there is a little bit of every art form in every discipline. For example, the music in orchestra, although wordless, has meaning and poetry behind it. Drawing, painting and photography are poetry in image form. Film and video are poetry just filmed and edited.
This experience has been so beneficial because coming here I finally felt like I fit in somewhere. Now I believe that everyone fits in somewhere; you just need to find your people, and my people are arts kids. I would totally encourage other young artists to come to OSAI because this environment is so welcoming and respectful to everyone involved.
The Oklahoma Arts Institute has three main programs: the Summer Arts Institute for high school students, the Fall Arts Institute for adults and educators, and the Quartz Preview Days outreach program. For more information on how to support OAI or for volunteer opportunities, visit OAIQuartz.org.