The rugged dramatic beauty of Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center provides an inspiring setting for the programs of the Oklahoma Arts Institute. Intensive hands-on classes in theatre, dance, choral and orchestral music, visual arts, photography and writing are offered for talented students, adult artists, and educators.

The Oklahoma Arts Institute was created in 1976 as a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to providing an educational program of excellence in the arts for young people. In 1983, at the request of the parents and teachers of Arts Institute students, a second program was added to accommodate adult artists. The Arts Institute's purpose is to develop artists and arts audiences across the state and the region, improving the quality of life for all Oklahomans. In 1991, the Institute was designated by the Legislature as "Oklahoma's Official School of the Arts," and has been hailed as a national model.

From its offices in Oklahoma City, the Arts Institute administers two educational programs:
The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, a two-week residential school for teens; and the Oklahoma Fall Arts Institutes, a series of four-day weekend workshops in the arts for adults. Faculty for both the summer and fall programs are professional artists of national and international reputation.

Summer Arts Institute - The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is a two-week residential school held each year in June providing pre-professional training to Oklahoma's artistically talented high school students, ages 14-18. Faculty and student performances in acting, ballet, modern dance, orchestral music and choral music take place during designated evenings. Gallery openings showcase the work of student-artists in the disciplines of drawing, painting, photography and filmmaking. Poetry students and faculty members share their work during poetry readings. Ballroom dancing classes are offered to students of all disciplines. All of these extracurricular arts activities provide Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute students with insight into those disciplines other than those they specifically study, allowing for a more complete arts education.

Fall Arts Institute - In September and October, nationally known faculty artists provide intensive arts study for adults who wish to continue their education and personal enrichment. The Fall Arts Institutes are a series of weekend workshops in choral music, photography, theatre, visual arts and writing.