Granting artistic opportunities
4 arts organizations are planning big 2017 projects partially funded by significant NEA grants
Yolanda Kondonassis knows exactly when and where she caught the music bug.
The Grammy-nominated harpist was a Norman teenager in the summer of 1977 when she spent a few days at Camp Egan in Tahlequah participating in a pilot program that later became the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain.
“The things I caught the bug on there … are the things that have really kept me doing what I do: the discipline, the people, the camaraderie, the satisfaction of a wonderful result,” she said during her recent induction into the fledgling Oklahoma Arts Institute Alumni Hall of Fame.
“Catching the bug that young is so important to wanting to go through everything you have to go through. … Anybody who’s had a life in the arts knows that there’s a level of sacrifice.”
The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain now is an intensive two weeks that offers state high school students the chance to study with renowned professional artists in numerous disciplines, from acting and creative writing to orchestra and visual arts.
“It’s a jewel that we have in Oklahoma. People don’t realize that we have something really special here that they don’t have in other states,” said
Oklahoma Arts Institute President and CEO Julie Cohen. “One of the things that sets our program apart … is that it’s a fullscholarship program for every accepted student. That way there’s no financial barriers to attending.”
The National Endowment for the Arts has taken notice, awarding the Oklahoma Arts Institute with a $15,000 grant to support the 2017 summer program, planned for June 10-25.
The federal agency recently revealed that four venerable Oklahoma organizations — the Oklahoma Arts Institute, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, Lyric Theatre and Tulsa Ballet — will receive a total of $70,000 in grants to fund projects in the New Year. The NEA is sending more than $30 million to nonprofits and individuals in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands in its first major grant funding round of fiscal year 2017.
“The arts are for all of us, and by supporting these projects, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu in a statement. “Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer.”
Yearlong transformation
Changing lives is the goal of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition’s Art 365, which offers Oklahoma artists a year and $12,000 to create innovative artwork in collaboration with a nationally recognized curator.
“It’s designed to be a transformative experience for the artists,” said OVAC Associate Director Lauren Scarpello. “The Art 365 program kind of puts us on the map in the art world. We’re doing conceptual, ambitious projects here that are really on par with some of the larger arts communities in cities nationwide.”
Earlier this year, OVAC sifted through 78 applicants and selected six artists to develop five projects for Art 365. The 2017 winners — Amy and James McGirk, of Tahlequah; Narciso Arguelles, Edmond; Pete Froslie, Norman; Andy Mattern, Stillwater; and Kelly Rogers, Oklahoma City — are working with Dana Turkovic, curator of exhibitions at Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Mo., on projects that are both high concept and highly personal. The fruits of their yearlong labors will be exhibited from June to August at Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman and in October and November at Hardesty Arts Center in Tulsa.
Art 365 is such a big undertaking that OVAC only offers it to five artists every three years. It costs $60,000 just to pay the artists’ stipends; that doesn’t include the price to hire the curator, plan the exhibits or produce a catalog that will be sent to about 600 galleries, museums and curators nationwide, helping to raise the profile of Oklahoma’s art scene.
OVAC is receiving a $25,000 NEA grant — the largest awarded to an Oklahoma entity this round.
“It means that we are being recognized by the NEA for the work we’re doing to push contemporary art in Oklahoma. So that means a lot,” Scarpello said. “Numbers-wise, it absolutely is going to help with the cost. The cost of the program is astronomical, so any little bit helps.”
Peachy outreach
A $10,000 NEA grant will help Lyric Theatre sink its teeth into a big undertaking: The longstanding company will make its first foray in recent memory into theater for young audiences with a March 29-April 9 production of “James and the Giant Peach.”
Lyric is co-producing the full-scale adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale with Adventure Theatre in Washington, D.C., where the musical had a successful sold-out run in March.
“I would call it a miniBroadway musical, so you really need great actors, great singers. It’s Roald Dahl, so the story is just meaty and not your typical children’s story. I would say it’s the highest quality of theater for young audiences that you can find out there. It’s really a lovely piece,” said Lyric’s Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron, the director for both runs.
And he wants as many people to see it as possible. The theater is using its NEA grant to offer free and reduced-price tickets to families who might not otherwise be able to attend and to develop, for the first time, sensory-friendly performances. For the two sensory-friendly shows, Lyric will turn down the sound, tone down the lighting effects and make other changes so that children with autism and other sensory-processing disorders can enjoy the story.
“With each show that we do, I’m trying to figure out ways that we can reach new audiences and make Lyric more accessible for everyone in Oklahoma,” Baron said.
Anniversary in Oz
As part of its 60th anniversary season, Tulsa Ballet is dancing off to Oz. The acclaimed company will present the world premiere of the new fulllength ballet “Dorothy and the Prince of Oz” on Feb. 10-12. The $1 million adaptation of “Glinda of Oz,” the 14th book in L. Frank Baum’s Oz series, is a joint commission of Tulsa Ballet and BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio.
“Both companies decided we wanted to do something new and fresh,” said Tulsa Ballet Managing Director Scott Black. “We knew that the character of Dorothy would be familiar; there’s the scarecrow and Glinda and other characters that people will know from the original story. But this particular story … has never been told in ballet form.”
A collaborative effort led by Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director Marcello Angelini, “Dorothy and the Prince of Oz” will feature choreography by BalletMet’s Edwaard Liang, set and puppet designs by Basil Twist and costumes by Mark Zappone. Oliver Peter Graber, librettist and composer for the Vienna State Opera in Austria, is adapting the story and music of the early 20th century for the ballet, as well as composing some original music.
Tulsa Ballet is receiving a $20,000 NEA grant to help take the less-familiar Oz saga from page to stage.
“We are very honored to be receiving it. The NEA, the budget has seen some cuts here or there … in recent years,” Black said. “It’s a great stamp of approval when the national endowment gives you a direct grant. … It’s a nice thing for them to validate the work we’re doing here in Oklahoma.”