Nearly 300 educators and artists from across Oklahoma gathered at the Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute (OFAI) for a series of intensive weekend workshops, designed to enhance their skills in literary, visual, and performing arts while earning professional development credit.
Among those attending were two Newcastle teachers.
Vivian Cisneros of Newcastle High School and Jackie Myers of Newcastle Elementary School attended with Cisneros concentrating on abstract watercolor, and Myers concentrating on abstract acrylics.
Held at Quartz Mountain State Park & Lodge during three weekends in October, the workshops were led by nationally acclaimed artists and attracted both adult artists and educators from over 170 schools statewide.
Participants earned 18 hours of continuing education credits, directly benefiting more than 50,000 Oklahoma students through the enriched teaching of their educators.
Since 1983, the Oklahoma Arts Institute has hosted OFAI, offering educators and adult artists an immersive opportunity to refine their talents or explore entirely new ones alongside leading innovators in the arts.
This program complements the organization’s flagship Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute for high school students, which has been held annually since 1977.
OFAI workshops serve an assortment of interests and artistic backgrounds. This year, workshops were offered in fiction writing, folk art, choreography, felted wool, drawing, printmaking, filmmaking, Native American beadwork, photography, West African music, dance and games and more.
Additionally, several workshops tailored for educators included “Practical Strategies for the Inclusive Art Room” and “Planning and Executing the Choral Vacation.”
“The Oklahoma Arts Institute is truly dedicated to supporting and enhancing the artistic and educational mission of the state’s students, teachers, administrators, and supporters,” said instructor Julie Yu. “The country should use OAI as a model for arts integration to enhance student learning and how the quality of the community/state improves through this commitment.”
Oklahoma public school educators attend OFAI on full scholarship, with tuition discounts for those who teach at private schools.
Removing or reducing the financial burden allows participants to focus on growing in their art form and to develop strategies for integrating workshop techniques into the classroom. The four-day, all-inclusive retreat also offers a variety of extracurricular activities, such as yoga and guided stargazing, providing participants with a well-rounded creative experience.
Scholarships for Oklahoma educators attending OFAI were made possible through funding from the Oklahoma State Department of Education ARTS INSTITUTE on page 3 and Oklahoma Arts Council, as well as the Albers Family Fund, Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, ArtTech, Avedis Foundation, Banc-First Charitable Foundation, Cresap Foundation, Edward E. and Helen Turner Bartlett Foundation, E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, Express Employment International, Mark and Sarah Woolery, Mary K. Chapman Foundation, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, and Sam Viersen Family Foundation.
• photo courtesy Oklahoma Arts Institute. High school teacher Vivian Cisneros works on her artwork during the Fall Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.
Auditions for students coming
This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Next summer, Oklahoma high school students can also study with the nation’s top artists at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute.
Auditions for this prestigious program will begin in December and run through February 17th, 2025. Auditions and applications are done entirely online, and every accepted student receives a full scholarship to the program.
