Arts for everybody
In this time of crisis for education and arts funding in our state
Progress is being made thanks to the efforts of young people who attended Norman High in the past 20 years and a generous new business owner on Main Street. Aya has decided to give us a room for 5 WEEKS BEGINNING Tuesday, September 12 at 4:30.
Please visit Yuyu's Cozy Corner on Main Street and try her Lebanese and Egyptian cuisine.
During our recent Norman High School Class of '67 reunion, a wonderful speaker brought a local problem to our attention. Numerous students struggle with social situations which didn't even exist during our years in school. As a result of the foresight of Sharyn Wilburn Laird and her contacts at NHS, we were able to raise a significant amount of money for the Tigers Helping Tigers program. Several members of the class indicated the need for ongoing support for the program, so Cottonwood Arts is stepping in.
Due the de-funding of the youth shelter program in our city and cuts for other social programs, we are facing a crisis in the care of our homeless students, single parents and those temporarily displaced by family troubles. BRIDGES is a source of help for some kids who find themselves homeless and / or in need of support. Part of our funding will be diverted there.
Under the direction of Larry Rogers and some local artists and educators, we want to expand the one-time fundraising effort and provide opportunities for Arts activities and discussions at public venues in our city. As we seek solutions, we will update this page periodically. Please contact Lynda Parman Shell if you have computer skills, arts experience, a space we can use or ideas about how to help our Norman High students. All suggestions are welcome.
Our political climate has changed. As citizens, we are faced with more challenging decisions every week. Imagine going through this time alone - estranged from your family, without funds or a stable home. The needs of those students on Free and Reduced Lunch this year make up 50% of the population throughout our public school system.
It is the goal of Cottonwood Arts Foundation to assist as many of these students as possible without regard to race, religion, gender or previous artistic experience. By providing space, companionship and the opportunity to create, we hope to improve the quality of their lives.
Thanks to the Assistance League of Norman for giving us space at May Fair. Our coloring table was well used; kids loved taking prizes away the same day and we loved their creativity and smiles!
It was a perfect venue to get out and start promoting the work that we hope to do in and around Norman. There was a lot of interest generated about carving the trees, and our subject of the Jazz Cat (the official mascot of Jazz in June) was well received.
After the death of its founder Frank Parman in February 2016, the last surviving trustee, Arn Henderson, transferred the foundation to Parman's sister, Lynda Parman Shell. A retired Science teacher and artist, Lynda decided to revitalize her brother's long-dormant arts foundation for the twenty-first century in order to promote diverse participatory arts projects for children and their parents in central Oklahoma.
In 20 17, a new set of priorities has emerged. We neeed to help students deal with a whole new range of problems, so another approach is currrently being formulated by volunteers ranging from retired educators to new business operators in Norman.