Stephanie Ott

The vision came from Oshkosh musician and artist Stephanie Ott, who worked with Atomic Katz and the Winnebago Peace and Justice Center to execute the fantasy evening.

"Essentially the three aspects were the masquerades ball itself, the fashion show, and the art auction," said Ott."I think an art auction can be appropriate at almost any kind of event like this as long as you display it properly and in the right manner."

Ott used an imaginative theme to tie the three different parts of the night together.

"At a masquerade ball, everyone is dressed up in costumes and masks, and no one is really living in their normal entity.You can do anything you want; it's like a giant Halloween party," she said.
...
According to Ott, the committee initially had doubts about the night's success.

"We didn't set any goals; we just wanted to do as much as we could," she said.
...
For Ott, the event was more of an invitation for local artists to band together and work toward a common purpose.

"I started hearing some of my students comment that their art teachers said that their art was too weird.It was a combination of what I had heard from my students and the fact that the students I encountered didn't really know what was going on in the art scene in Oshkosh and didn't know how to be a part of it," she said."The ball was a statement that their presence is respected and important to the community no matter how much discouragement they face, from parents or counselors who tell them that an art major is useless.It was a statement by the community of Oshkosh that they're important and we want them to be involved and to be working next to us."

In the midst of budget crises and the cutting of many art programs, Ott feels the only way to combat this is to be personally proactive.

"We directly affect our community because it is so small, and we need to make the changes we want to see happen," she said.
...
Ott encourages students to speak out, despite their age or stance in the community.

"I think the best thing is that students need to remember that even if they're under 18, it doesn't mean that they don't have the right to free speech," she said.

The vision came from Oshkosh musician and artist Stephanie Ott, who worked with Atomic Katz and the Winnebago Peace and Justice Center to execute the fantasy evening.

"Essentially the three aspects were the masquerades ball itself, the fashion show, and the art auction," said Ott."I think an art auction can be appropriate at almost any kind of event like this as long as you display it properly and in the right manner."

Ott used an imaginative theme to tie the three different parts of the night together.

"At a masquerade ball, everyone is dressed up in costumes and masks, and no one is really living in their normal entity.You can do anything you want; it's like a giant Halloween party," she said.
...
According to Ott, the committee initially had doubts about the night's success.

"We didn't set any goals; we just wanted to do as much as we could," she said.
...
For Ott, the event was more of an invitation for local artists to band together and work toward a common purpose.

"I started hearing some of my students comment that their art teachers said that their art was too weird.It was a combination of what I had heard from my students and the fact that the students I encountered didn't really know what was going on in the art scene in Oshkosh and didn't know how to be a part of it," she said."The ball was a statement that their presence is respected and important to the community no matter how much discouragement they face, from parents or counselors who tell them that an art major is useless.It was a statement by the community of Oshkosh that they're important and we want them to be involved and to be working next to us."

In the midst of budget crises and the cutting of many art programs, Ott feels the only way to combat this is to be personally proactive.

"We directly affect our community because it is so small, and we need to make the changes we want to see happen," she said.
...
Ott encourages students to speak out, despite their age or stance in the community.

"I think the best thing is that students need to remember that even if they're under 18, it doesn't mean that they don't have the right to free speech," she said.