JenX67
11-18-2008, 02:31 PM
OKLAHOMA CITY — — Every gallery owner will tell you the style and size of a frame should coordinate with the artwork. It should balance the design and enhance the presentation. How appropriate then, for a brick and iron fence to replace the thousands of bent and rusted couplings that form a chain-link boundary around Oklahoma City’s historic Wilson Arts Integration School.
The new fence, which will convey a sense of history, permanence, charm and security, is just one of many things now made possible through a donation of more than $711,000 from Wilson Arts, Inc. Based on research and interviews, the gift is believed to be the largest ever received by an Oklahoma City public school in the history of the district.
The funds, which were formally received today by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and City Council, will also ensure that the visual, performing and literary arts remain integrated into the classroom. According to Miles Tolbert, President of Wilson Arts, Inc., they will primarily be used to construct and equip four dedicated fine arts classrooms.
The project is a complement to Oklahoma City’s MAPS for KIDS, which allocates tax revenue for school improvements in a uniform manner.
According to Leslie Batchelor, a local attorney and president of Historic Preservation, Inc. (HPI), the project also has major implications for some of Oklahoma City’s most historic neighborhoods, which the school serves.
“The neighborhood believes that its fate is tied to the fate of the school,” said Batchelor. “We believe that supporting the improvements to the school is the best way to improve the neighborhood.”
Batchelor and Tolbert especially have reason to be passionate about Wilson. They have witnessed firsthand the benefits of an education enhanced by the arts. Batchelor’s twin daughters and Tolbert’s two sons all attend the school, once considered a victim of urban blight.
“Contributions to the fund-raising effort ranged from change collected by students at the school, to a $100,000 gift from the estate of a grateful alumna, Dorothy Farmer, who attended Wilson in the 1920’s and never forgot it,” Tolbert said. Other key contributors included HPI — $400,000; Inasmuch Foundation—$120,000; Presbyterian Health Foundation -- $10,000; Sonic, America’s Drive-In -- $7,000 and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund -- $10,000.
The new fence, which will convey a sense of history, permanence, charm and security, is just one of many things now made possible through a donation of more than $711,000 from Wilson Arts, Inc. Based on research and interviews, the gift is believed to be the largest ever received by an Oklahoma City public school in the history of the district.
The funds, which were formally received today by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and City Council, will also ensure that the visual, performing and literary arts remain integrated into the classroom. According to Miles Tolbert, President of Wilson Arts, Inc., they will primarily be used to construct and equip four dedicated fine arts classrooms.
The project is a complement to Oklahoma City’s MAPS for KIDS, which allocates tax revenue for school improvements in a uniform manner.
According to Leslie Batchelor, a local attorney and president of Historic Preservation, Inc. (HPI), the project also has major implications for some of Oklahoma City’s most historic neighborhoods, which the school serves.
“The neighborhood believes that its fate is tied to the fate of the school,” said Batchelor. “We believe that supporting the improvements to the school is the best way to improve the neighborhood.”
Batchelor and Tolbert especially have reason to be passionate about Wilson. They have witnessed firsthand the benefits of an education enhanced by the arts. Batchelor’s twin daughters and Tolbert’s two sons all attend the school, once considered a victim of urban blight.
“Contributions to the fund-raising effort ranged from change collected by students at the school, to a $100,000 gift from the estate of a grateful alumna, Dorothy Farmer, who attended Wilson in the 1920’s and never forgot it,” Tolbert said. Other key contributors included HPI — $400,000; Inasmuch Foundation—$120,000; Presbyterian Health Foundation -- $10,000; Sonic, America’s Drive-In -- $7,000 and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund -- $10,000.