Five Southwest Oklahoma students selected to attend Arts Institute

The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OSAI) has produced five decades of actors, photographers, dancers, singers, writers, visual artists, filmmakers and musicians, including Tim Blake Nelson and Megan Mullally. This summer, five students from Southwest Oklahoma will join the greats.

Diesel Johnson, a student from Lawton High School who won a spot for creative writing, said the opportunity means a lot.

“I think programs like this are very important and I’m glad students, not just me, have a program like this where we can not only learn to express ourselves, but [also] engage with the world around us in a unique way,” Johnson said.

According to a press release, renowned teaching artists from around the world will travel to Quartz Mountain to provide collegiate-level training and mentorship to the students in one of eight disciplines in literary, visual and performing arts.

The release said OSAI’s multidisciplinary structure sets the institute apart, allowing students both to study intensely in their chosen discipline and to be exposed to unfamiliar art forms.

The release said that unlike other state arts programs, every student accepted will receive a full scholarship to attend. The Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts and numerous private foundations and individuals underwrite the program costs to ensure that OSAI is within reach for all of Oklahoma’s young artists.

The release said the Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OAI) is Oklahoma’s official school of the Arts. A private, nonprofit organization, OAI has partnered with the State of Oklahoma for over 45 years to provide exceptional multidisciplinary arts education experiences that develop individual talent and inspire a lifelong passion for the arts.

The release also said in addition to the Summer Arts Institute–the state’s flagship program for talented high school artists–OAI administers a series of continuing education workshops for educators and other adult artists during the annual Oklahoma Fall Arts institute.

For more information, visit oaiquartz.org.