December Newsletter

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December Newsletter



Fine Arts Update

2020 has felt never-ending in many ways. We can all recall what we were doing last March before everything shut down and our lives were changed. However, we are finally entering  December - a time of hope and renewal. 2020 has not gone as planned, but you have made it. You have picked up a myriad of online teaching skills and had many successes with your students. Dance, theatre, music, and art education online? No problem! You have taught students under extreme and difficult situations. Thank you for all that you have done to ensure Oklahoma students have access to a quality arts education! Have a wonderful, restful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in 2021! 

Covid Resources: 


Good Reads

"Bah, Pandemic!" How Theaters are Saving "A Christmas Carol"

Comanche HS, Fame receive Fall Classroom Supply Grants

Leslie Odom Jr. Discusses Importance of Arts Education in Schools

Tecumseh School One of Oklahoma Arts Council’s Fall Classroom Supply Grant  Recipients


Fine Arts Monthly Virtual Meetings

The fine arts virtual meetings will be held on the second Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. on Zoom. There will NOT be a December meeting. We will resume the meetings on Thursday, January 14th. 


OkMEA January Conference

The 2021 Virtual Winter Conference will be on Accelevents January 28-30, 2021. Concerts and events will be held on the Thursday and Friday evenings, with sessions running all day on Saturday. All sessions will be recorded and available after the conference. Registration is open!

The conference will include: opening ceremonies with Horseshoe Road, OkMEA honor awards with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, honor concerts, professional development sessions,
social hours and more!

If you haven't been able to attend OkMEA in the past because of distance, substitute availability, budget, etc., this could be a great opportunity! If you are able to attend every year, please consider attending virtually this year to support OkMEA and ensure it's viability in the future. 

OkMEA Flyer

High School Portfolio Day

It is time to begin making plans for the annual, ever-popular, Oklahoma Art Education Association’s OKLAHOMA STATEWIDE PORTFOLIO DAY. High school students in Oklahoma (primarily seniors) who are interested in pursuing visual arts training are invited to participate. 

Due to the nature of our current COVID situation, the OAEA is hosting the upcoming Portfolio Day virtually via Zoom.

Portfolio reviews will be scheduled across 3 days: Jan 15, Jan 22, and Jan 29. Times will be 9am – 1pm each day, with 15 minute intervals per student. Students will need to register for a specific review day/time/faculty, of which, they wish to receive a portfolio review. Students can register for multiple institutions and will be able to choose the day/time and faculty representative of each institution. 

Please contact Jacquelyn Knapp (jknapp@usao.edu) for any questions and for your registration RSVP.

OAEA Logo

30th Annual ODOT Trash Poster Contest

Here’s a chance for your students to show artistic, imaginative, and creative talent with a positive and original poster/slogan design with solutions to Oklahoma’s litter problems. Winning designs will be incorporated in the 2022 ODOT calendar. Winning students and their teachers receive cash and funding for classroom art supplies. 

For entry forms and contest information, visit the ODOT Trash Poster Contest website. Contest begins December 1, 2020 and the entry deadline is January 31, 2021.  


38th Annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest

Art Contest Poster

The entry deadline for this contest is February 14, 2021.


2021 Sutton Art Award

The Sutton Avian Research Center, an internationally renowned ornithological research and conservation organization based near Bartlesville, OK, offers an annual statewide scholarship competition known as the Sutton Art Award. The Sutton Art Award is comprised of up to $20,000 in cash which will be distributed to winning student submissions and their instructors as determined by the selection committee. This award recognizes those students who demonstrate the ability to communicate current conservation topics in compelling ways.

Due to COVID-19, Entries will be submitted and judged online. The Showcase and Awards Ceremony will be held via Facebook Live in early March. The top awarded pieces will also be displayed on the Sutton Avian Research Center’s website and Facebook pages.

The Sutton Center is again proud to have an additional, presenting scholarship partner, NatureWorks, Inc. NatureWorks, located in Tulsa, is a non-profit organization assisting in the development and conservation of wildlife preserves, wildlife habitats, and educational opportunities for adults and children regarding the values of sharing our homeland with wildlife. With the generosity and financial support of NatureWorks and many others, the Sutton Award scholarship program is able to offer financial recognition to Oklahoma’s high school artists as well as to many of their teachers and school programs.

Online Submission begin on February 1, 2021. For more information and entry details visit Sutton’s website.


Junior Duck Stamp Program

Duck Stamp Flyer

Oklahoma State Superintendent’s Art Gallery Schedule

A new gallery schedule will be developed soon. Stay tuned!

virtual art gallery is available on the SDE Fine Arts website for students and families who would like to see pictures of their work in the OSDE (Oliver Hodge) Building.  


MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

December 31 - Early bird registration deadline for OkMEA

January 1 - OK Arts Council Classroom Supply Grant Application Open

January 14 - Monthly Virtual Fine Arts Meeting

January 15, 22, 29 - OAEA Virtual Portfolio Days

January 28-30 - OkMEA Virtual State Conference