Oak Park Area Arts Council
2010 Fine Arts Scholarship

In 1996, the Oak Park Area Arts Council (OPAAC) convened an arts education task force that was charged with studying the state of arts education in the tri-village area.  One of the items to come out of that task force was a need for the Arts Council to establish a scholarship program.  In 1997, the very first scholarship was awarded to Joey Nakayama, an Oak Park & River Forest High School student, headed to the Rhode Island School of Design to pursue studies in industrial design.  Over the last thirteen years, OPAAC has awarded scholarships to 93 arts involved graduating seniors, planning to major in the arts in college.

OPAAC MISSION AND GOALS

Because we believe art is intrinsic to the quality of life in our communities, the Oak Park Area Arts Council celebrates, supports and promotes artists and arts organizations in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.  By raising funds for the arts, and advocating for policies that promote the arts, we enhance the social, economic, and cultural foundations of our communities.

Staff:

Camille Wilson White, Executive Director
708.358.5692
camillew2@OakParkAreaArtsCouncil.org

Charity Piet Miska, Assistant to the Executive Director
708.358.5693
charityp@OakParkAreaArtsCouncil.org

Criteria Used For Selecting The Recipients Of The
Oak Park Area Arts Council 2010 Fine Arts Scholarships

The Board of Directors of the Oak Park Area Arts Council is inviting any graduating senior, who is a resident of Oak Park, Forest Park or River Forest, to apply for its’ scholarship program.  High school seniors who have been involved/studied the arts in high school or the community and will pursue college studies in an arts-related discipline, such as the visual arts, performing arts, musical arts, and literary arts, are encouraged to apply.  The scholarships will be awarded based upon merit.  Scholarship finalists will be asked to submit to a 10-minute interview prior to the actual awarding of the scholarships at a time and place to be announced.  Scholarship recipients will be chosen based upon the quality of their applications and interviews.

The scholarships will be directly submitted to each winner’s college or university and will be applied toward the winner’s freshman year tuition.  The winners will be expected to write a short letter to the Oak Park Area Arts Council at the end of their freshman year describing how the scholarship benefited them during that year.

One copy of the typewritten/legibly printed and completed application and essay must be hand delivered to the Arts Council’s office at Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, or mailed to: P.O. Box 950, Oak Park, IL 60303 no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2010.  Any applications received after this date and time will not be considered.

Be sure to include slides, photos (no more than 5 slides or photos), CDs, DVDs, video, audiotape, etc. of your work with your application.  Please label all materials, they will be returned to you.

Please attach a copy of your unofficial transcript with this application.
(Be sure to make your request early, counselors are very busy this time of the year.)

Please note: Children of staff or members of the Board of Directors of OPAAC are not eligible for the scholarship.

Please contact OPAAC Executive Director, Camille Wilson White (708.358.5692), or Assistant to the Executive Director, Charity Piet Miska (708.358.5693), if you have any questions.