Claremore residents Ben Thrun and Jennifer Shinn are studying with an “X-Men” star, Ansel Adams protégé, and other artists this summer at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OSAI).
The two-week, residential academy provides intensive training for Oklahoma high school students in the visual, literary, and performing arts.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the OSAI camp,” said Thrun, an OSAI orchestra student. “I hope to learn much about musicianship, as well as meet many new friends.”
Over the past 31 summers, notable artists have taught at OSAI, including recipients of the Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards.
This year’s faculty artists include actress Famke Janssen of Los Angeles, and photographer Huntington Witherill of Monterey, Calif.
Janssen has starred in all three “X-Men” movies as well as appeared in other film roles opposite actors such as Liam Neeson, Sir Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Robert DeNiro, and more.
Witherill is known in the field of photography, having studied with Ansel Adams and other famous photographers.
With more than 90 exhibitions and two photography books to his credit, Witherill was named “Artist of the Year” by the Center for Photographic Art.
Claremore is represented on the OSAI board of directors by Sean Burrage and Marguerite McKinney.
