NORMAN - Artwork by four Altus students will be on display at the Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery in Lawton Jan. 9 through Feb. 24. The students created the artwork during the 2009 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, a prestigious academy held in June. The exhibition features photographs and large charcoal drawings and will visit the state's finest museums as the "Tour de Quartz." An opening reception will be held this Saturday, January 9, from 7 to 9 p.m.

OSAI drawing/painting students and Altus High School students Dalton Latham, Jordan Johnson, Karissa McClain, and Lindsay Williamson each contributed a self-portrait to the tour. For the portrait, the artist adopted a unique persona and created a large-scale charcoal drawing. The portrait reveals not only the artist's physical features, but the personality and emotional state of his or her persona.

The Tour de Quartz also includes student photography. The photographs feature a variety of subject matter, with an emphasis on the people and scenery of southwest Oklahoma. The photographs were created using several photographic methods, including black and white conventional, color digital, handcolored prints, and alternative processes such as Van Dyke brown and cyanotype.

In addition to the area students, the artists featured in Tour de Quartz come from rural and urban areas across the state. The students were chosen by competitive statewide auditions to attend the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain, a two-week residential academy. The institute is taught by nationally renowned artists, including winners of the Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards. This year's drawing and painting students studied with Kristy Deetz of DePere, Wisconsin, and the photography class was led by Jill Enfield of New York, New York.

The Tour de Quartz opens at the Leslie Powell Foundation and Gallery in Lawton with a free public reception this Saturday, Jan. 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. and will remain on display through Feb. 24. The gallery is located at 620 S.W. D Avenue in Lawton.

For more information about the gallery, call (580) 357-9526 or visit www.lpgallery.org. For more information about the Oklahoma Arts Institute or the Tour de Quartz, visit www.oaiquartz.org or call (405) 321-9000.