Panel to Discuss Concepts that Define Black Beauty

Davenport, IOWA (September 2012) On Saturday, September 22 the 3-part symposium, "Is My Black Beautiful?" will be held at the Figge Art Museum. Inspired by the exhibition Posing Beauty in African American Culture, this symposium will begin at 1pm with a panel discussion moderated by community leader Bobbie Lastrapes and will include local African American women spanning sixty years in age. The panel participants will be Ashley Anderson, Jackie Foy-Baker, Earnice Hines, Johnnie Marie Woods, Mary Teague and LaDrina Wilson.

The panel will discuss the ever-changing concepts that define black beauty in the context of fashion and time and will reflect on what it means and has meant to be beautiful in the traditional sense and also on a personal level. Audience members will be encouraged to contribute their thoughts and add to the conversation.

Following the panel discussion, participants will visit the exhibition Posing Beauty for an informal tour, led by Figge associate curator Rima Girnius, Ph.D. Following the tour there will be a reception with refreshments and performances by the Imani! Dancers & Studio for Cultural Arts, Inc. The Imani! Dancers is a non-profit Christian arts organization specializing in Afro-modern, lyrical, and creative dance.

Symposium Schedule

1-2 pm          Panel Discussion, Moderator: Bobbie Lastrapes

2-3 pm          Gallery Talk Led by Rima Girnius, PhD, Figge Art Museum associate curator

3-4:30 pm     Reception and informal performances by the Imani! Dancers & Studio for Cultural Arts, Inc

The symposium is free with paid admission or museum membership; museum admission will be reduced to $4 until 2pm on Saturday, September 22. No registration is required. To learn more call Melissa Hueting, director of education, at 563.326.7804x7895 or email mhueting@figgeartmuseum.org.

About Posing Beauty in African American Culture 

Posing Beauty in African American Culture explores the contested ways in which African and African American beauty have been represented in historical and contemporary contexts through diverse media including photography, film, video, fashion, advertising and other forms of popular culture such as music and the Internet. Throughout the Western history of art and image-making, the relationship between beauty and art has become increasingly complex within contemporary art and popular culture.

The images in this exhibition challenge idealized forms of beauty in art by examining their portrayal and exploring a variety of attitudes about race, class, gender, popular culture and politics as seen through the aesthetics of representation.

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m.  Thursdays the museum is open until 9pm. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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Celebrate the autumn harvest by building your own scarecrow for display on Brucemore's historic 26-acre property during the first Scarecrow Invasion. Scarecrow armatures are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (319) 362-7375 or visiting the Brucemore Store and Visitor Center. Armatures are $15 per individual, family, class, or non-profit organization; or $25 per for-profit business. Delivery is available for a fee to Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha addresses on October 5; all other scarecrows must be picked up at the Brucemore Store and Visitor Center. The public is invited to witness the invasion, October 13 through 27, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Vote for your favorite scarecrow October 13 through October 21. Winners will be announced on October 22 at 10 a.m.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Teachers Use Student-Designed Stickers to Reward Good Work

DES MOINES, IA (09/11/2012)(readMedia)-- Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) members around the state have used ISEA's student-designed stickers to celebrate student achievement and good work for over 27 years. Now in its 28th year, the popular Design-a-Decal program helps give statewide recognition to young art students when their winning designs are printed on stickers and teachers use them to give positive feedback to their students. With encouraging messages like "Thumbs Up" and "Aced It," the stickers get used on everything from homework assignments, to papers and projects.

Students competed in three, grade-level categories: elementary (K-5); junior high/middle school (6-8); and high school (9-12). The 24 winning designs are printed in full color on sheets of one-inch square stickers and each design is featured twice.

"The Design-a-Decal contest is one of our longest-standing programs because it's so much fun for the students. Art teachers who administer the program are very enthusiastic and the students who submit designs do a great job and love to participate, so it's a win-win for everyone. It's a wonderful way to encourage creativity. The end result is stickers our members can use on homework and other assignments to encourage more great work," said Tammy Wawro, president of the ISEA.

The students who created the designs used on the decal sheets receive two plaques from the ISEA-one they keep and one to be displayed at their school.

(A listing with names of the schools, supervising art teacher, and students whose designs were selected for use on the decal sheets is attached. Also attached is a picture of the winning decals.)

The ISEA is a private, professional organization made up of almost 34,000 educators who are dedicated to promoting and preserving public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic.

(Cedar Rapids, IA) After being devastated in the 2008 Flood, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library re-opened an elevated and expanded facility to visitors on July 14 of this year. Rebuilding took four years and one month and was funded through state, federal and private funds. Nearly 70% of the monies raised came from Iowans. As a thank-you to the many people of the state, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is hosting a free museum day for all Iowans on Saturday, Sept. 15.

"When the high water receded, we took stock of what we saved, what we lost and what was ahead of us for the future. There was never any doubt that we would return as a museum and library and that we would continue to tell the story of Czech and Slovak history and culture," said President/CEO Gail Naughton. "Now that we're open and hosting three exhibitions along with the stunning Alphonse Mucha: Inspirations of Art Nouveau, we'd like to thank the many Iowans who made it possible. We could never have accomplished what we did without their help and support."

Iowa visitors of all ages are welcome to view the new museum and tour the galleries, see the two films in the theater, visit the library and shop in the museum store. An Iowa I.D. such as a driver's license or college I.D. is required for the free admission.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. For more information visit www.NCSML.org or call 319-362-8500.