Fri, April 1 –
From OSUIT:
Okmulgee-For the third year, OSU Institute of Technology’s School of Visual Communications is hosting ART Plus, an art show and sale featuring work done by alumni that benefits a student scholarship fund.
ART Plus is April 1 from 6 to 9 p.m., at Fly Loft, 117 N. Boston Ave., #201, in Tulsa’s Brady Arts District. Proceeds from the sale go to the Visual Communications Student Scholarship Fund. In its first two years, the event had raised more than $20,000 for scholarships aimed at second-year students so they can continue their education.
“It’s a continuing problem. Students come in and have funding for the first year. For a lot of them, there’s no funding beyond that first year. We’ve seen some of our best students, our most promising students, have to step out. They leave, and it’s extremely hard for them to come back,” said James McCullough, dean of the School of Visual Communications. “Those that come to the show, not only are they investing in our students, but they get to take home a really great piece of art.”
Abby Hogle, a graphic design student who will graduate in April, is one of the recipients of a scholarship made possible by funds raised at ART Plus.
“ART Plus has been incredible; they focus the scholarships on second year students,” Hogle said. “It was a real motivation for me. I was working, and between my job and school, I was stretched.”
Hogle said she would worry about how much she would need to work to make enough to go to school, but the scholarship allowed her to put all her focus on her education and training.
“I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I feel very honored to be a recipient,” she said.
Hogle said her friends and family always told her she had artistic talent, but she didn’t always believe it herself. When she learned more about graphic design, she visited OSUIT’s School of Visual Communications and knew it was where she wanted to be.
“Now, not a day goes by that I’m not creating something. I’ve really grown my skills. The School of Visual Communications has been an environment that has allowed me to grow,” Hogle said. “I’m looking forward to starting my career, doing well and giving back to the school that helped me.”
McCullough said this year more than 20 Visual Communications alumni and instructors are donating pieces for ART Plus.
“We’ll have everything from pencil drawings to watercolors to large oil paintings to photography. There should be something for everyone,” he said. “We know that the talented people that come through this program are simply artists, regardless of how that is defined.”
For more information artplusosuit.org.
