January Newsletter

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January Newsletter



Fine Arts Update

Welcome to a new year! I hope the holidays and winter break were a restful time for you and your family. Every Oklahoma district is approaching the return to school differently, but regardless of the plans, I believe your students will have a great spring semester with you leading the way. 

Read on for important events happening in the state this month.

Music educators - don't forget to register and attend OkMEA! I will present two sessions that focus on the new Oklahoma music standards with co-presenters including Dr. Tracey Gregg-Boothby, Sohailah Stout, Meghan Loyd, Leah McDonald, Lindsey Schroder, Jan Davis, and Kit Parker. There are many other great sessions offered so don't miss it! 

Visual art educators - don't miss the high school portfolio day or the many other art contests currently being held across the state. 

Also - ALL arts educators should be aware that a new round of classroom supply grant applications have been opened! The Oklahoma Arts Council offers this $500 grant for any consumable items used in an arts classroom. Consumables could include sheet music, paint, clay, set materials, etc. More information is below! 


Good Reads

Lawton arts community takes a hit, holds out hope for recovery

Oklahoma Arts Council announces $3M in grant awards

OSAI At Home Academy: A 2020 Success Story


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. This month's meeting will be held on Thursday, January 14th. The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition will be sharing their new education resources with us. We will also have time for networking with colleagues. All Oklahoma PK-12 arts educators are welcome to join the conversation! 

In order to increase security for our virtual meetings we are implementing passwords for participants. When you log onto Zoom use the following login information. Please do not share this information publicly through social media or other spaces. You may forward this email to colleagues if they do not receive the newsletter. 

OSDE C&I Encore Team is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Fine Arts Virtual Meet-Up
Time: Jan 14, 2021 04:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/91905714451?pwd=UHJrZWN3dytxYno3aFZzZmQvOFM2dz09

Meeting ID: 919 0571 4451
Passcode: Arts2020
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,91905714451# US (San Jose)
+12532158782,,91905714451# US (Tacoma)

To further enhance security, the meeting will be locked at 4:05. After 4:05, no one will be allowed to enter the meeting. 

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 its 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, from 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

Oklahoma Arts Council Classroom Supply Grants

Oklahoma schools with eligible fine arts staff can apply for up to $500 in funding from the Oklahoma Arts Council to purchase qualifying visual and performing arts supplies for the 2020-2021 school year. Applications are due February 1. 

Through the state arts agency’s Classroom Supply Grants for Visual and Performing Arts program, schools that have at least one part-time arts instructor in the discipline for which they apply are eligible for funding. Disciplines may include dance, drama/theatre, music, and visual arts. 

Supplies purchased through the grant program must be consumable, non-permanent items. The program can assist with supplies that support distance learning. Schools are responsible for purchasing their supplies.

Examples of eligible items include sheet music, props, instrument rental, reeds and bows, drawing and painting supplies, clay, and more.

Schools that provide access to arts education in rural, under resourced, or culturally diverse areas of the state will be prioritized for funding.

A webinar about the grant program is available here. In the webinar, Oklahoma Arts Council staff explain the login request process, discuss eligibility criteria, walk through the grant application, and facilitate a Q&A session. An overview of other school grants and educational resources available from the Oklahoma Arts Council is included.

Classroom Supply Grants for Visual and Performing Arts are offered in response to feedback provided to the Oklahoma Arts Council by hundreds of teachers, school administrators, and others involved in education across Oklahoma. The program is aimed at helping schools sustain their hands-on arts education programs.


UCO Dance Audition Days

The UCO Department of Dance is hosting auditions on Saturday, January 16 for the BFA in Dance Performance, BA in Dance Education (only K-12 teacher preparation degree in the state), and BA in Arts Administration (with option for accelerated MBA). Two audition times are available to allow for social distancing, 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00. Masks are required on UCO campus and during the audition. Virtual options also available. To pre-register and more information about audition requirements, please visit ocae.uco.edu.

The UCO Department of Dance prepares students for professional careers in dance and dance education by helping them acquire the knowledge and skills to compete and contribute as emerging artists, creative scholars and leaders in the arts. They emphasize equal value in concert and commercial dance forms, with training in ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, aerial, and world dance forms.


OU Resonance Series

The Resonance Series is a new guest lecture series brought to you by the OU School of Music and Jazz in June that connects OU students and Oklahoma PK-12 students with music professionals from around the world. Speakers will share their experiences, provide the future generation with insight into the industry and career paths, and answer questions students may have. 

Join online for this unique opportunity to listen to, talk with, and ask questions of the music industry's most successful experts. Oklahoma arts educators and their students are welcome to attend the series! 

Email Eric Walschap at e@ou.edu with any questions.

OU poster

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!

January 1 - OK Arts Council Classroom Supply Grant Application Open

January 11 - Early bird registration deadline for OkMEA

January 14 - Monthly Virtual Fine Arts Meeting

January 16 - UCO Dance Audition Day

January 15, 22, 29 - OAEA Virtual Portfolio Days

January 28-30 - OkMEA Virtual State Conference

February 1 - Classroom Supply Grant Application DEADLINE