The state’s most illustrious arts program is nestled in the Wichita Mountains. For almost 50 years, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI) has offered a sanctuary for high school students to refine their respective art forms, freely explore their craft and experience an unforgettable educational opportunity.
From now until Feb. 17, OSAI is accepting online applications from high school students age 15-19. Those accepted will receive a full scholarship for the program, which runs June 14-29.
And since OSAI changes its faculty each year, no program is ever identical, even for students who have been accepted multiple times.
“Let’s say a student comes for acting all four years,” said Wren Pfahl, the PR and outreach coordinator for the art institute. “Every single year, they’re going to learn something different, whether that’s Shakespeare, musical theater, or modern and contemporary plays. We mix it up so everyone learns something different that they wouldn’t learn normally at school.”
Full-spectrum learning
OSAI operates on one key principle: variety. By adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, students break out of their comfort zones and delve deep into different art forms.
While students still have a laser focus on their specific art, OSAI gives them a chance to experiment, collaborate and broaden their artistic outlook. For example, OSAI requires students to participate in “community lab,” or a class that isn’t tied to a specific major’s curriculum. (Last year, students participated in West African drumming and dancing.)
“It lets students study something new and slightly out of their discipline,” said Pfahl. “They also regularly interact and room with students outside of their focus. And every evening of the first week, each faculty member gives a different presentation, sort of like a TED Talk.”
Working with other students is foundational to OSAI’s fabric. Given ideas rarely encapsulate just one medium, OSAI fosters a mindful and collaborative environment that brings students together.
“Recently, our photography and creative writing students collaborated,” Pfahl said. “The writers would write a poem and the photographers would take photo that captures it. Or the photographers would take a photo and our poets would write to that. They’re learning in a way they’ve never learned before and possibly in a way they’ll never experience again.”
Artistic oasis
As Oklahoma’s public education system continues to minimize — if not outright eliminate — artistic programs, OSAI continues to amplify them. Part of this can be attributed to the institute’s breathtaking location.
“Quartz Mountain itself is a very unique location,” Pfahl said. “It’s got one road in and one road out. Just being there, you’re completely removed from highways, and since its cell reception is limited, people aren’t always glued to their phones. You’re immersed in nature, and there’s nothing more inspiring for making art than that.”
Beyond its setting, OSAI also removes the financial barriers from this type of program, given every accepted student also earns a full scholarship. In other words, no matter what background a student comes from, they have equal access to the best instruction and materials available in the state.
At the same time, this can seem a little daunting. But while OSAI is competitive to get into, the goal of attending the program isn’t to make students the perfect artists. Rather, it’s to inspire them to their full potential and illuminate what they’re truly capable of.
“When we survey our students each summer, we ask them if the art form they’re studying is available at their normal school,” Pfahl said. “A sizable percentage of students don’t have it available. Here, they’re getting the instruction most schools don’t have. We’re thrilled to provide that and be a stepping stone into other art forms.”
The instructors include artists who lead their craft, such as Kalena Bovell, OSAI’s orchestra conductor. The first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada, Bovell has conducted for the Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and many others. The faculty also includes Fernando Carrillo, a dance instructor who performed in the early Broadway runs of the most successful musical of all time, The Lion King.
Ben Long, OSAI’s digital technician and program alum, also brings years of editing and photography experience working with Apple, National Geographic and other major visual brands.
Fueled by passion
While OSAI hasn’t changed significantly from an operational standpoint, it continues to evolve with new generations of students and teachers. However, dedication and openness continue to be the defining characteristic of all who attend.
“We’re looking for people who want to get better and explore,” said Pfahl. “We provide a space where they can do that freely and without judgement. That can be difficult in Oklahoma for one reason or another. Basically, if you love art, you belong here.”
Vulnerability is fundamental to meaningful art. Every year, OSAI maintains a space where that vulnerability isn’t scrutinized, but celebrated. In doing so, it empowers students to dive deeper into their craft and their identity.
Walking into a situation where you know everyone is exceptional at what they do can be daunting. But OSAI actively seeks to turn that intimidation into determination through community.
“People sometimes come to us as shy, artsy weirdos from their small town,” Pfahl said. “And they’re understandably terrified. But by the second day, they come out of their shell and make friends and experience freedom in ways they never experienced before. Freedom to learn. Freedom to perform. Freedom to discover themselves.”
To Pfahl, this liberating environment doesn’t just create better artists, but better people, too.
“You just evolve every summer you attend,” Pfahl said. “You become more creative, empathetic and open-minded from the people you meet and the things you experience. You evolve from within.”
For more information about OSAI’s application process and eligibility requirements, visit oaiquartz.org.
This article appears in Stitt’s Top Ten.