FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, MO. (September 11, 2017) – Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao, Artist and UN Ambassador for Art and Peace will give a free public program sponsored by Friends of the Springfield Art Museum and Studio 55 Fine Arts Guild, from 6 – 8 PM on Tuesday, September 26, in the Springfield Art Museum Auditorium.
From the Niger River Basin of West Africa to the Ozark Mountains, Ibiyinka is an artist who shines a light on art as a healing tool through painting, storytelling, writing, music, and film. He is a winner of the prestigious United Nations International Art Contest and his painting Eternity in our Hearts, part of which he made in the Ozarks, inspired the 2016 Scholastic “Kids Are Authors” Nonfiction Grand Prize winner Ibi’s Fireflies, written and illustrated by 3rd grade students in Pennsylvania.
Ibiyinka works in schools, prisons, and juvenile detention centers, introducing art therapy to students and inmates. Ibiyinka will be sharing stories, performing musical selections, and discussing his artwork including, My Fireflies, which has been made into a short animated feature and an audio book that will be screened at the event.
This event is free and open to the public and reservations are not required. The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 East Brookside Drive.
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The Springfield Art Museum is Springfield, Missouri’s oldest cultural institution, founded in 1928. A department of the City of Springfield, we are dedicated to enhancing the education and documenting the cultural heritage of the people of southwest Missouri through the collection, preservation, and exhibition of art objects. For more information, please visit www.sgfmuseum.org. For more information, please contact Joshua Best, Development and Marketing Coordinator, (417) 874-2859 or jbest@springfieldmo.gov
Studio 55 Fine Arts Guild is a member of the Springfield Regional Arts Council and was organized in 1996. It is composed of artists of all media and various levels of expertise. They are dedicated to support, educate, and develop artists while promoting visual arts in Springfield and the surrounding communities. www.studio55guild.com
Friends of the Art Museum (FOSAM) was formed in 1982 for the purpose of bringing educational lectures and exhibits to the museum. As an organization, dedicated to furthering artistic education in Springfield, the FOSAM organizes programs and lectures that provide educational support and sponsors the Family Art Lab. http://www.artmuseumfriends-spfd.org/index.html