According to its website, the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond is our city’s “non-profit community arts organization offering educational enrichment to youth and adults in the visual and performing arts.” Centrally located in an 8,000 square foot building in downtown Edmond, the Fine Arts Institute sponsors classes in drawing, painting, clay, pottery, theatre arts, mixed media, printmaking, jewelry design, stained glass, seasonal art, and more.

    The Fine Arts Institute’s programs are wide ranging. Consider some of the classes it offers: Art on Saturdays, Cartooning, Creative Writing, Jewelry, Preschool Art and Theatre, and Drawing and Painting. And those are just some of the children’s classes. For adults, current class offerings include Creative Writing, Drawing and Painting, and Pottery and Wheel Throwing.

In addition to the numerous, year-round art classes, the Fine Arts Institute sponsors programs such as Edmond Youth Chorus, Children’s Theatre, Junior Theatre Company, Youth Impressions Juried Art Show, Fine Arts and Literature Academic Meet, Edmond’s Got Talent, Art in the Schools, and various Summer Camps.

As you can probably guess by now, the special guest speaker of the Rotary Club of Edmond this week is our own Mitzi Hancuff. Mitzi has led the Fine Arts Institute as its Executive Director for 23 of its 26 years. During her tenure, the Fine Arts Institute has grown class enrollment and programming to reaching more than 15,000 people annually. The Fine Arts Institute raised $1,200,000 to build the beautiful facility just to the north of the downtown post office into which it moved in 2004.

We all know the great things she did for us a couple years ago as President of the Rotary Club of Edmond. But what you may not know is how tirelessly Mitzi regularly puts Service Above Self. As her successor, I got to see it (and benefit from it) with regularity.

Mitzi is a member of Leadership Oklahoma – Class XIX, has served on the Board of KCSC Classical Radio, and has been active in Edmond Youth Leadership, Women in Leadership, the Edmond Chamber of Commerce and the Edmond Women’s Club. In 2002, the Edmond Chamber of Commerce named her Edmond’s Citizen of the Year.

Mitzi grew up in Salt Lake City, and has lived in Edmond since 1981. She is married to Carl Hancuff, and has four grandchildren.

Please give a special welcome to our friend, Mitzi Hancuff, as she speaks to the Rotary Club of Edmond.

Andy