Tuesday September 26
Nigerian UN Ambassador of Art and Peace
Returns to Springfield Art Museum
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
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
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
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
Studio 55 Bylaws, Click here
Studio 55 Fine Arts Guild welcomes visual artists 18 years and older, of all media and levels of expertise, including art professionals, emerging artists, and those who appreciate art. The Guild meets monthly for programs, sponsors workshops, organizes exhibitions and facilitates the interchange of ideas, information, and motivation for their members and the arts community.
For more membership information see How to Join.
Studio 55 Fine Arts Guild
September 19 Eric Ray's Pen and Ink Drawing Class: MORE INFORMATION
Programs are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month
from 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm in The Gallery at National Avenue Christian Church
1515 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO
Visitors are welcome. Free and open to the public.
Email studio55guild@gmail.com for more information
(If the Springfield Schools are cancelled due to the weather, the program is automatically cancelled)