The magic of the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute
By Averie Grace-Hayes
Do you want to have the chance to be better at what you love? The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is a great opportunity for students who want to potentially pursue a career in the arts. OSAI is a two-week summer program where students are granted the freedom to work on their craft. OSAI offers programs for visual art, creative writing, acting, chorus, orchestra, dancing, film and photography. Accepted students will automatically receive a scholarship through the program.
Photo taken by Kennedy Rutherford of abandoned courtroom
OSAI requires a prestigious, in-depth audition process. Students must fill out the application and submit a piece of their work for review. Different programs require different submissions and have various guidelines. Applicants are judged, anonymously, based on nothing but the work they submitted.
Kennedy Rutherford, a student from Owasso who has previously graduated, was given a full-ride scholarship to Parson’s School of Design in New York City, all because of her work with OSAI.
“Overall, it was an amazing experience. I met some people there that I’m still in touch with today,” Rutherford enthusiastically stated.
Rutherford has made valuable contacts within OSAI. However, she mainly focused on one of the eight classes they provide: photography. While at the camp, Rutherford primarily focused on the quality and location of her photos.
Rutherford states, “I would like to specifically mention my teacher, Ben Long. He was the technical teacher. I learned so much about printing and other areas of photography from him that I hadn’t learned elsewhere.”
Rutherford talked about her beloved instructors who taught her things that no high school art class could teach her, like printing, editing and getting the right angles.
Many alumni have shared their similar positive experiences with OSAI’s instructors. Each teacher has unique credentials, Emmy nominations, Symphonic experience, and even participation on Broadway. However, don’t let the spunky staff distract you from the extreme discipline surrounding these two weeks. At OSAI, students are given an experience of the utmost quality, with the additional asset of scholarship opportunities.
“So when you go to OSAI, you immediately get a scholarship when you're accepted,” Rutherford mentions.
The OSAI scholarship covers most of the costs of the program. The scholarship also looks admirable on college applications. Along with the scholarship, photography students also get a letter of recommendation from the Governor of Oklahoma.
Rutherford conveys, “I think OSAI, for me, was definitely a much-needed stepping stone to get where I’m at today.”
For those interested in the creative arts, OSAI is a wonderful program for high school students to kickstart their professional careers. Taking advantage of accomplished instructors and program scholarships, students can find a wealth of knowledge through the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute.