Art. Education. Connection.

Meet the young artist, Aztrid Moan 

“I can’t believe my name is on the wall!” exclaimed Aztrid Moan, senior at Harding Fine Arts Academy. On Friday, January 7, Aztrid and her mother, Nicole Moan, a local professional artist, opened their exhibition, Metamorphosis, at JRB Art at the Elms in the Paseo. Aztrid transferred to Harding Fine Arts Academy after being homeschooled for many years. “When you’re homeschooled, you’re more isolated and alone.” As an artist Aztrid sometimes likes to work alone, but she is also appreciative and grateful for the many opportunities she has received because of the Academy. 

She is most inspired by her family – where everyone is an artist. Aztrid enjoys working with her mom especially, because she “throws any and everything at me and allows me to be able to create whatever I want.” Having another professional artist to work with also pushes Aztrid to grow and extend beyond her creative comfort zone. When creating a new show, Aztrid will normally start with a simple pencil sketch of her idea. Then she will transfer the sketch to her iPad where she can refine her designs and consider colors, textures, materials, and layout. Finally, she will create the final pieces using canvas, fabric, clay or wood.

Aztrid is ecstatic to have her art hanging in a professional gallery. “To have my art in any gallery, especially in the Paseo, is an honor. This gallery is a very prestigious one and I feel so honored to be featured in it.” Her primary career goal is to be a self-sustaining artist. She has applied and been accepted at Oklahoma City Community College where she will take additional art classes in specific focus areas such as printmaking. She is also applying for art internships throughout Oklahoma City and out of state.

Meet Jamese Siranga

Mrs. Siranga is the Director of Admissions at Harding Fine Arts Academy. She assists families and prospective students with completing their application, enrolling in classes, and oversees the social and emotional wellbeing of the student body by providing fun campus-wide events like Trunk- or-Treat, Polar Express Day, and Stress Relief Week during finals. Her favorite aspect of her position is working directly with the students because they are so fun and full of life. One of her goals is to make the application process smooth and easy for families and to give the students fun and exciting campus events. “I want to provide many opportunities for students to connect with each other, so they can build strong, lasting relationships.” In her opinion, the Academy is different from other schools she has worked at because of the variety of electives it provides, the high- caliber arts instruction, and because of “the way the teachers encourage creativity” in everything they do.

The Art-Education Connection

For many students like Aztrid, Harding Fine Arts Academy can provide a multitude of opportunities. The faculty and staff at the Academy are dedicated to teaching the whole-child using an arts-integrated method. Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both. For example, in science class students may be asked to write a song about cell division, or in geometry analyze Picasso’s works in his famous cubism style to identify different shapes, lines and angles. Arts-integrated education is more than just arts and crafts in the classroom.

By weaving arts and humanities into everything we do, we are not only preparing students for college, but we are instilling skills, behaviors and temperaments necessary to be successful in life. This unique educational experience has set the Academy apart from other public schools. For the past nine years, the Academy has been ranked in the Top 10 Public High Schools in Oklahoma by US News & World Report. We have also received a National Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence, Governor’s Art Award, and 68 state superintendent awards for arts excellence since 2016.

The Academy is also tuition-free and non-selective. This means no one can be denied enrollment due to race, gender, socioeconomic status, past academic achievements, or even artistic talent. We do not require any entrance exams or auditions in order to attend. All admissions are conducted using a randomized lottery system.

Applications are accepted year-around, however the first round of applications for the 2022-2023 school year will be accepted until March 4, 2022, at 4:00 pm. Applying early for the first lottery round is the best way to increase your chances of acceptance. Prospective students can find an application on the Academy’s website, www.hardingfinearts.org or by calling Director of Admissions, Jamese Siranga at (405) 702-4322.