Arts for All honors long time director

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - “Whether it be for the arts, for her church, helping a friend, she was that person. She was a leader in lots of subsidiary arts organizations within Arts for All and other arts groups,” said Ronda Norrell, the Arts for All Festival Chairman.

This year’s Arts for All festival will be dedicated to Bobbi Matchette; the previous executive director of 27 years for the organization.

“When she became the executive director of arts for all, she told me a long time ago it was a dream come true,” said Norrell. “She didn’t hunt for it, it just happened.”

Matchette passed away in March of 2023.

“The last year has been a hard year. Coming out of COVID, and just changing with COVID things and then she was ill. She passed away on the 26 of March. So the timing for the festival is perfect. She loved the festival. It was a family gathering for her also. So I think it’s the perfect time,” said Norrell.

According to Norrell, Matchette had a love for any form of art, being a musician herself.

“You asked her to do something, and she helped you find the solution to do it. It didn’t matter what we were involved with. She was an artist herself, she was a musician. So that love of the arts and how important they are for a community came from her heart. I mean that’s who she was,” said Norrell.

The ceremony is to kick off the festival Friday evening at the fourth street stage in Sheplar Park, with some showing off Matchette’s signature look.

“If you come Friday to the opening ceremony, you’re going to see lots of flowers in the women’s hair because she always wore a flower in her hair. That was her dress-up, or her art mode when she was in art mode,” said Norrell.