Oklahoma Arts Council Brings 3-Day Conference to OSU Campus

Friday, September 11, 2009

OSU President Burns Hargis is keynote speaker.

(Sept. 11, 2009, STILLWATER, Okla.) – It’s official. The Oklahoma Arts Council has chosen Oklahoma State University as its conference venue Oct. 7 to 9.

“Moving Forward in a Challenging Economy” is the theme and focus of the conference to be held at the Wes Watkins Center at OSU. Georgia Williams, the council’s cultural development director, says that one thing on everyone’s mind is funding.

“Today it is tougher than ever for non-profit organizations to get financial support so we are offering some very rigorous workshops and panels on maintaining good business practices and community partnerships,” Williams said.

Workshop topics include creating a dynamic fundraising board, developing exceptional grant proposals and managing careers.

Involvement is community-wide and includes participation from OSU Allied Arts, OSU departments of art, music and theater, the City of Stillwater and the Stillwater Convention and Visitors Bureau. OSU president Burns Hargis will give the keynote address on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Organizers are expecting more than 200 in attendance so Chris Ramsay, interim head of the OSU Art Department, is heading up the effort to get student volunteers. “We see our involvement in the conference as a great investment for our students and faculty,” Ramsay said.

The art department also will host a reception and faculty art exhibit from 5 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Gardiner Art Gallery in the Bartlett Center for the Visual Arts at OSU.

For conference information or to register, visit http://okarts.wordpress.com. Deadline is Sept. 25. Art, music and theater are three of the 24 departments in the College of Arts and Sciences at OSU. To learn more visit http://cas.okstate.edu.