This fall, Sadler Arts Academy teachers Carol Secor, Pamela Turnbull and Tom Twine joined the annual migration of artists to Quartz Mountain for an intensive weekend workshop. They attended the Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute (OFAI), a series of retreats in the literary, visual and performing arts taught by award-winning artists, according to a media release.

“The creativity, atmosphere, and social climate here is truly a blessing,” said Secor, an art teacher.

Secor took a monotype printmaking workshop at OFAI.

OFAI allows Oklahomans to study with nationally renowned artists without traveling far from home, the release states. OFAI faculty has included winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards. This year’s faculty included Al Young, California’s poet laureate.

“I know I will come away with a fresh approach to introducing music to children in a way that will use their whole body and personalities in expressing music,” said Turnbull, a music teacher.

Turnbull studied choral music at OFAI, and Twine took digital photography.

OFAI is held at the Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center in southwest Oklahoma. Nestled between the Quartz Mountains and Lake Altus, the conference center is the ideal location for arts immersion. Artists gain inspiration from the natural setting, and the secluded locale allows artists to focus on their work with few distractions.

All Oklahoma public school educators automatically receive full scholarships to attend OFAI, including tuition, room and board. Muskogee educators were sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the BancFirst Charitable Foundation, the Raymond and Bessie Kravis Foundation, and the Albers Family Fund, with additional support from the Oklahoma Arts Council and various private donors.

“The Fall Arts Institute provides public school teachers from all reaches of the state an opportunity to focus their creative energies and learn strategies for bringing the arts back to their classrooms, said Julie Cohen, Oklahoma Arts Institute president. “Last year, over 50,000 public school children from across Oklahoma benefited from their teachers’ participation in our workshops.”

The Oklahoma Arts Institute is a private, non-profit organization developed in 1977, with a vision to cultivate established and emerging artists and educators through art workshops, immersion and awareness. OAI administers a fine arts program for talented Oklahoma youth and a series of continuing education workshops for adults.

Information: www.oaiquartz.org.