Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center facts for kids
The Quartz Mountain Resort Arts and Conference Center is a fun place to visit in southwestern Oklahoma, United States. It's a resort located in the Wichita Mountains, about 17 miles north of Altus. You can find it near the Texas border, about 9 kilometers west of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma on State Highway 44A. It's a great spot for families and students!
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Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute
Each year, 250 talented students aged 14 to 18 are chosen for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI). They get to spend two weeks at Quartz Mountain. Students live in cabins and lodges, focusing on their chosen art form. They learn from famous artists and experts.
What Students Learn at OSAI
The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is an exciting program for high school students. It offers classes in many different creative areas. These include acting, creative writing, ballet, modern dance, orchestra, and chorus. Students can also study drawing and painting, photography, and film and video.
Learning from Top Artists
The teachers at OSAI are very special. Many of them have won big awards like the Pulitzer Prize, Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Tony Awards. Imagine learning from people who are the best in their field! Students join over 250 other young artists from all over Oklahoma. They study their chosen art and also get to see performances, art shows, film screenings, and poetry readings.
How to Attend OSAI
The cost to attend OSAI is very low. This is because the program gets a lot of help from the Oklahoma government and private donations. Some students who qualify only pay a small fee of $250 to participate. This makes it possible for many students to experience this amazing art program.
History of Quartz Mountain
The area around Quartz Mountain has a cool history, especially for outdoor lovers. The land was once owned by Ted and Margaret Johnson. They kindly allowed people to explore a spot called Baldy Point since the 1970s. This area was popular with people who enjoyed climbing rocks.
Baldy Point Becomes a Park
After Ted Johnson passed away, Margaret needed to sell the land. Because many people loved the beautiful Oklahoma landscape and the climbing, a special effort was made. On March 30, 2001, two groups, the Access Fund and the Wichita Mountains Climbers Coalition, bought Baldy Point. They then gave the land to the State of Oklahoma right away. It became part of the Quartz Mountain State Park. On January 1, 2002, the park was renamed Quartz Mountain Nature Park.
History of the Resort Center
The main building, known as the Quartz Mountain Lodge, was first built in 1955. It had 44 rooms, a tennis court, and two swimming pools. One pool was inside, and one was outside. A nine-hole golf course was added in 1959. More campgrounds were built on the north side of the land in 1970.
Rebuilding the Resort
Later, the lodge had a fire and was badly damaged. The resort had to close for a while. It reopened after a new 750-seat theater was finished in 2001. The rebuilding cost more than seventeen million dollars. In 2002, more land was added to the park. In 2003, the "Baldy Point Trails" project received money for new paths and improvements.
Today, the Quartz Mountain Resort is a busy place. It hosts conferences and is home to the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. It is also still a favorite spot for tourists and people who love to climb rocks.
