SRU opens black history, diversity month programs Feb. 2
Painter Curlee Holton will kickoff SRU's Black History Month and President's Commission on Race and Ethnic Diversity Month celebrations
Jan. 26, 2016
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.- Curlee Holton, an internationally renowned printmaker and painter, will offer opening remarks at 12:30 p.m., Feb. 2 to officially kickoff Slippery Rock University's Black History Month and President's Commission on Race and Ethnic Diversity Month celebrations. The opening ceremony will be in the Smith Student Center Theatre. The theme for the celebrations is "Remember and Reclaim."
Holton, executive director of the David C. Driskell Center and senior artist-in-residence for the art department at the University of Maryland, will exhibit his show, "Two Masters: David C. Driskell and Curlee Holton: A Collaboration of Creativity," from Feb. 2-25 in SRU's Martha Gualt Art Gallery. He earned his master's of fine arts with honors from Kent State University and his bachelor's of fine arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Drawing and Printmaking. His work, which has been described as both powerful and graceful, has been exhibited professionally in more than 60 one-person shows and 100 group shows in such prestigious national and international venues as the 7th International Biennale in Cairo, Egypt; Taller de Artes Plasticás Rufino Tamayo in Oaxaca, Mexico; the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland, College Park, honors the legacy of David C. Driskell - distinguished university professor emeritus of art, artist, art historian, collector, curator and philanthropist - by preserving the rich heritage of African American visual art and culture. Established in 2001, the Center provides an intellectual home for artists, museum professionals, art administrators and scholars, who are interested in broadening the field of African Diasporic studies.
SRU's Black History Month will feature more than 10 events through Feb. 28. Activities include speakers, a business day, a workshop on black women body image and a presentation titled "Dangers on Black Males in America." A newly added event, "Two Strikes, You're Out," sponsored by RockOUT and the SRU Office of Multicultural Development, will be presented at 6 p.m., Feb. 4, in the Smith Student Center,
Kevin Powell, one of the most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices in America today, will provide keynote addresses at 12:30 and 7 p.m., Feb. 16, in the Smith Student Center Ballroom. The author of 12 books, his newest title, "The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood," is a brutally honest memoir about his life.
The President's Commission on Race and Ethic Diversity, which is celebrating diversity at SRU throughout the month of February, will partner on many Black History Month events. The commission's offerings will include panel discussions, a showing of the movie "Crash" and a presentation about a student service trip to Bolivia.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine | 724.738.4854 | gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu