LANSING, Mich. -- More than 90 pieces of framed art, along with handmade books and poetry by 70 Lansing youth, will be on display at a new gallery in Lansing's REO Town.
An opening reception will take place 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 17 at Reach Art Studio, 1133 S. Washington Ave. It will include live music from Michigan State University's Residential College in the Arts and Humanities musicians, poetry readings by participants and refreshments.
The exhibit will run April 17 to May 27 and will be open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. An additional event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 6 will feature Everett High School musicians and poetry readings. A catalog of the project will be available for purchase as well as some of the art.
Beginning last fall, youth participants from Lansing worked alongside RCAH faculty and students, community volunteers and Reach staff to develop skills in visual art and poetry in an after-school interdisciplinary arts project, "Patterns of Place."
Participants explored their surroundings using a variety of artistic mediums. In two 10-week sessions youth discovered, shared and represented aspects of themselves and their home places through newly learned artistic language. The more than 70 participating youth, ages 7 through 18, engaged in painting, photography, printmaking and poetry exercises and projects to see and give voice to the many assets - history, ethnic diversity, language, landscapes, architecture - of Lansing.
Following are the RCAH faculty, staff and artists-in-residence who participated in the project: Guillermo Delgado, Laura DeLind, Anita Skeen, Fredy Rodriquez, Mark Sullivan and Igor Houwat. RCAH student Jessica Johnson served as the project intern for the spring semester and Alice Brinkman, executive director of Reach Studio, served as the project coordinator.
"Patterns of Place" and the exhibition are supported by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, P.A.I.N.T.S - a U.S. Arts in Education Model Development & Dissemination grant, of the Lansing School District - RCAH, MSU Outreach and Engagement and Jackson National.
Questions should be directed to Alice Brinkman, Reach Studio Art Center's executive director and project coordinator at (517) 999-3643 or alice@reachstudioart.org
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