The OTC Fine Arts Gallery, located on the third floor of the historic Gillioz Theatre complex in downtown Springfield, will hold an opening reception during First Friday ArtWalk on Friday, April 6, from 6-10 p.m.  This month, the Gallery will feature artwork from iPhone photographer Elise Ellis. 

Ellis explains how she got started in iPhone photography:  "About 2 years ago, I was extremely burned out with traditional portraiture.  I actually put my professional gear on the shelf and took a step back from photography.  It was then I began to experiment with iPhoneography.  In 2011, I began using the camera on the iPhone as my primary camera."   

She describes her work as follows:  "Using the iPhone, I photograph and post process all images utilizing apps I have purchased from Apple's App Store.  Some of these apps are ScratchCam, Filter Mania, Filter Storm, and Photo Toaster.  The medium I have chosen to display my iPhone images on is metal.  A dye sublimation process fuses the image to a piece of metal creating incredible visual depth and luminosity."

"iPhoneography challenges me," Ellis says.  "It pushes me to be a better photographer and artist.  When you take away all the fancy lenses, flash units, camera bodies, all you have left is your creativity, your vision, your skill in composition and in manipulating the light.  iPhoneography is photography in the simplest form."

The OTC Fine Arts Gallery's regular gallery hours are Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For more information contact Kat Allie at (417) 447-8977, or via email at alliek@otc.edu or finearts@otc.edu.

Pictured:  A sample of Ellis' photography. 

The Springfield Regional Arts Council has announced the Higher Learning Invitational Exhibition at The Sky Gallery, the gallery inside the Springfield-Branson National Airport.  The exhibition, which is on display now, will be shown until May 14. The public is invited to a reception on Thursday, April 12, from 6-7:30 p.m.

One teacher from each public higher learning Institution was invited to exhibit their work, along with the work of some of their students.   Instructor Kat Allie was chosen to represent OTC, and will be showing her encaustics, along with drawings and paintings by students Shawna Miller and Kayla Campbell.

Over 45 works in acrylic, ink, charcoal, mixed media, wire, and fabric were selected for the exhibition, with all work available for purchase.  A portion of all sales will benefit the non-profit Springfield Regional Arts Council.

The Sky Gallery, which is located in the lobby of the airport terminal, is open 24 hours a day.  Sky Gallery is a network of display areas within the reception area of the airport, including the freestanding ArtPort.  Visitors can park free in the short-term lot for 30 minutes.   

For more information on the Higher Learning Invitational Exhibition, visit http://www.flyspringfield.com/art.htm.

The Health Information Technology program is proud to announce that one of their current students has received an educational scholarship to assist with current and future educational pursuits.   

Nancy Chambers is one of the recipients of the 2011 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Merit scholarship in the amount of $1,000.  The scholarship was developed to aid Health Information Technology students at educational institutions which are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).   

The scholarship will be presented at the AHIMA Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.  Nancy is scheduled for graduation with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Health Information Technology in fall of 2012, at which time she will be eligible to take the national certification examination to become a Registered Health Information Management Technician (RHIT). 

The professional field of Health Information Technology refers to the technical aspects of processing health data and records, including classification and coding of diseases and procedures, abstracting data, registry development, and data storage, ensuring the availability, accuracy, and protection of clinical information that is needed to deliver quality healthcare services and make appropriate healthcare-related decisions.  In the ever-changing healthcare industry, today's health information technicians are actively involved in the implementation of the electronic health record (EHR), ongoing changes to the HIPAA privacy and security rules, and the upcoming transition from ICD-9-CM to the ICD-10-CM/PCS coding classification system, which is scheduled to be implemented on October 1, 2013.

Pictured, left to right:  Chambers and HIT Program Director Sue Kirk. 

Dental Assisting Program Director Janet Sell (pictured, with Dr. Higdon) was recently honored with the 2012 MCCA Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.  The award was presented during the annual luncheon in Jefferson City celebrating the Phi Theta Kappa All-Missouri Academic Team and the Governor's Award recipients, held on Wednesday, March 28.  Several OTC students were also recognized during the event, as well as Phi Theta Kappa Advisors Jo Fritts, Steve Fritts, and Dana Johnston.  Congratulations to all of these outstanding OTC representatives!  

OTC SGA sponsored its first-ever Talent Competition on Monday, March 12.  The crowd enjoyed some great performances, including several bands/singers, a stand-up comedian and a dancer.  SGA President Fran Ferguson is pictured at left with the winners.  From left: Three members of Divers City (2nd place), Ethan Dunn (3rd place), and two members of The Coast is Clear (1st place).

Thanks to Pinnacle Sign Group in Springfield, the official Ozarks Technical Community College seal has now been hung on the east wall of the Jared Family Atrium, in the Information Commons on the OTC Springfield Campus.  Come check it out!