Students Show Ornaments At Tulsa's Festival Of Trees

By Rick Wells, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- The Festival of Trees is a holiday tradition at Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art.  There are always trees of all kinds, traditional and very non- traditional.  One of the featured trees this year is decorated with ornaments hand-blown by at-risk students at the Tulsa Glassblowing Studio.

Some of the middle and high school students whose ornaments are hanging on the tree discussed their work with The News On 6.

Katie's a student at Booker T. Washington.  She's been working with glass for a couple of years and even helps teach some classes now.  Rachel and Craig are relatively new, but say the more color in the ornament the more difficult it can be.

Sarah Diggdon is the director at the Tulsa Glassblowing Studio.  She says the program gives the kids a creative outlet they can't get anywhere else.

"It's different than drawing or painting, it's something 3D.  Something sculptural that they can do.  It builds the resume," said Tulsa Glassblowing Studio Director Sarah Diggdon

And, because the students have gotten good enough at glass blowing, they can now participate in projects like the Festival of Trees.

This is the 24th Festival, the theme is:  A Southwest Holiday.   The displays this year feature a lot of cactus and there's a Boot Scootin' Christmas Tree.  There's tree which offers a helping hand, and even a partridge in a pear tree.

The hand blown ornament tree is being raffled off.

The youngest contributor is five-year-old Kelsey Clark.  She made one of the small clear glass ornaments.

The Festival of Trees runs through December 7th at the Philbrook Museum of Art.