Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center

The entrance to the main building at the resort.

Geography of Quartz Mountain

The Twin Peaks Performance Hall as seen overlooking the main building.

The Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center is a resort located 17 miles north of Altus in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma, two and a half hours from Oklahoma City, four hours from Dallas, near the Texas border and 9 miles (14 km) west of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma on State Highway 44A.

Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain

Two-hundred-and-fifty students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen are selected for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute annually and spend two weeks at Quartz Mountain living in cabins and lodges focusing on their area of discipline where they study with well-known Artists. Auditions take place at the beginning of the year; accepted students receive letters dictating their selection in mid-April. According to the Oklahoma Arts Institute website, "The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI) is an intensive academy for Oklahoma high school students in the fields of acting, creating writing, ballet, modern dance, orchestra, chorus, drawing and painting, photography, and film and video. OSAI faculty artists include winners of the Pulitzer Price and the Academy, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Awards. You'll join over 250 students from across the state as you study your chosen field and attend or participate in performances, gallery openings, film screenings, poetry readings, and more. Optional activities include nature hikes, karaoke night, movie night, a talent show, and all-camp dances. You'll make lifelong friends and study with amazing teachers for a summer experience you'll never forget."^[1]^[2]

The cost of attendance is very low due to extensive funding by the Oklahoma government and private donors. Some students who qualify only pay a participation fee of $250.

The current disciplines are: Acting, Ballet, Chorus, creative Writing, Drawing & Painting, Film & Video, Modern Dance, Orchestra, Photography.

OSAI 2015 Faculty

Discipline	Name	Position	Current Residence
Guest Artists	Michele Wiles Jay Donn	Guest Artist - dance Guest Artist - dance	New York, New York New York, New York
Acting	Christine Farrell Francine Zerfas	Acting Instructor Voice Coach	New York, New York New York, New York
Ballet	Angela Harris Andy Monroe	Ballet Instructor Ballet Accompanist	Atlanta, Georgia New York, New York
Chorus	Amanda Quist Lauren Harper Alex Sutton Mark Laseter	Chorus Conductor Women's Chorus Section Leader Men's Chorus Section Leader Chorus Accompanist	Princeton, New Jersey Atlanta, Georgia Cincinnati, Ohio Princeton, New Jersey
Creative Writing	Nathan Brown	Creative Writing Instructor	Wimberley, Texas
Drawing & Painting	Marc Vinciguerra	Drawing & Painting Instructor	Florence, Italy and Miami Beach, Florida
Film & Video	Scott Hamilton Kennedy Beau Leland Alan Novey	Film & Video Instructor Film & Video Editor Film & Video Technician	Los Angeles, California Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Modern Dance	André Tyson Felix Ventouras	Modern Dance Instructor Modern Dance Accompanist	Valencia, California Shanghai, China
Orchestra	Allen Tinkham Daris Word Hale Michael Murray Larry Guy Evelien Woolard Gerry Wood Anne Eisfeller Deb Stevenson Chris Nappi Virginia Sircy Royce Lumpkin Wes Woolard Misha Galaganov Tiffany Rice Karel Butz	Orchestra Conductor Bassoon Cello Clarinet Flute & Piccolo French Horn Harp Oboe Percussion Piano Trombone & Tuba Trumpet Viola First Violin Second Violin	Chicago, Illinois Austin, Texas Springfield, Missouri Stony Point, New York Cincinnati, Ohio Colleyville, Texas Albuquerque, New Mexico Chicago, Illinois Washington, North Carolina Alexandria, Virginia Harrisburg, North Carolina Cincinnati, Ohio Fort Worth, Texas Charleston, South Carolina Houston, Texas
Photography	Keith Carter Konrad Eek Ben Long	Photography Instructor Darkroom Technician Digital Technician	Beaumont, Texas Norman, Oklahoma San Francisco, California
Guest Faculty - Ballroom Dance	Alee Reed Rainer Trubere	Ballroom Dance Instructor Ballroom Dance Instructor	New York, New York New Milford, New Jersey
Pilates & Fitness	Rebecca Penniman	Pilates & Fitness Instructor	Baton Rouge, Louisiana

^[3]

History of Quartz Mountain (Baldy Point)

Quartz Mountain's history began due to local recreational climbers. The land was privately owned by Ted and Margaret Johnson who allowed climbers to legally explore Baldy Point since the early 1970's. Ted died in 1993 and left the land to his wife. After only seven years, Margaret needed to sell the property in order to keep up with her medical bills. Because of the climbing community, the tourists who loved the beautiful Oklahoma land, and Margaret's daughter, on March 30, 2001, the Access Fund and the Wichita Mountains Climbers Coalition were able to purchase "Baldy Point". The two partners then immediately donated the land to the State of Oklahoma where it was dedicated as a part of the Quartz Mountain State Park. As of January 1, 2002, the State Park was renamed Quartz Mountain Nature Park.^[4]

History of the Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center

The Quartz Mountain Lodge was built in 1955. It included forty four rooms, a tennis count, and two pools: one indoor, one outdoor. In 1959 a nine-hole golf course was added. In 1970, more construction led to more campgrounds on the north side of the land. Soon after all the construction was completed, the beautiful lodge burnt almost completely due to an electrical fire in the sauna area. The resort was forced to close until after the seven hundred and fifty seat theatre was completed in 2001. The total reconstruction cost over seventeen million dollars. In 2002, after Baldy point was donated to the State of Oklahoma, the Dunnam property was also donated to the cause. In 2003, Quartz Mountain's 'Baldy Point Trails' project was awarded eighty thousand dollars for construction and improvements.

Currently, the land is used as a Conference Center to the Higher Regents, the location of the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and is still a hot spot for tourists and recreational climbers.^[5]

External links

References

↑ Hedglen, Thomas."Quartz Mountain State Park.," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma. Archived November 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
↑ Kelly, Anna. "This could be the summer that changes your life". Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
↑ Kelly, Anna. "2015 OSAI Faculty". Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
↑ Kelly, Anna. "Quartz History". Wichita Mountains Climbers Coalition. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
↑ Kelly, Anna. "Quartz Mountain Nature Park's History". Quartz Mountain. Retrieved December 6, 2015.

Coordinates: 34°54′17″N 99°18′19″W / 34.90472°N 99.30528°W / 34.90472; -99.30528

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