MLK Day events at the IAO Gallery
Tomorrow is an important holiday for our country. As we all wake up Monday morning, we will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, honoring the man and what he meant to our nation.
IAO will be partnering with the Oklahoma City Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition, the Respect Diversity Foundation and the Paramount Theater and using art of all forms to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and talk about the importance of diversity.
The schedule for Monday follows:
On January 21st, 2013 from 12 to 5 p.m. IAO is partnering with the Oklahoma City Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition, the Respect Diversity Foundation and the Paramount Theater Space to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the IAO Gallery. IAO is inviting visual artists of all media to assist attendees in creating a collaborative art piece that will be on display celebrating diversity at the 12th annual Respect Diversity Arts Exhibition in April 2013.
IAO Gallery is located at 706 W. Sheridan Ave. in downtown OKC; The Paramount OKC is at 701 W. Sheridan.
12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m., IAO Gallery Local Visual Artists will be on hand to assist attendees in creating their own Polaroid size art piece that will be combined with photos of attendees "flashing the peace sign" and ultimately be sewn together with multicolored thread and displayed at the Respect Diversity Foundation's Art Exhibition April 2013. Home Base Studios will be filming attendees reciting lines from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream Speech" that will also premiere alongside footage from the day's events at the Respect Diversity Foundation's Art Exhibition April 2013.
The film of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream Speech" will be shown during this time within the IAO Gallery.
12:15 p.m., IAO Gallery Prairie Dance Theatre will perform a dance piece. What began as Oklahoma's first professional Modern Dance Company founded by Beth Shumway in 1978 has evolved into a dance education organization currently serving Oklahoma City area students in 4 public elementary schools, 2 after school programs, and an advanced youth company.
12:30pm-1:00 p.m., IAO Gallery Presentations and Q & A: Author Michael Korenblit, Gwen Mukes
Michael Korenblit is co-author of UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, the true story of love and survival in the Holocaust. In his presentation, Mike takes his audiences on a journey through time to Hrubieszow, Poland, during the late 1930s and 1940s. He relates the stories of two families and the impact of World War II on their lives.
Gwen Mukes: Growing up in segregated Oklahoma in the 40s and 50s, Gwen witnessed many forms of discrimination and was aware of atrocities committed to African Americans at a young age. As one of the original Civil Rights' Sit-Inners in Oklahoma City to desegregate public accommodations (August1958), she, along with the other 13 members of the NAACP Youth Chapter, was thrust into history. This experience began her lifelong quest for equal treatment for all, to learn more about her people's history and history of other cultures, and to help others to appreciate different cultures in our society.
1:00pm-1:30 p.m., IAO Gallery Performances and Presentations and Q&A: Albert Grayeagle, DWe Williams and Trena Brown
Albert Gray Eagle is a noted flute artist and performer who is skilled in the craft of making traditional flutes along with regional forms of creative writing. Residencies with Gray Eagle may include the art of flute making and playing of the instrument while building on an understanding of history relevant to the Native American.
DWe Williams and Trena Brown from Ebony Voices is a storytelling unit of Rhythmically Speaking that incorporates music and womanly style in the telling of stories from the perspective of women. Women who have been birthin' and burpin' and buildin' a bold new body of people as they redefine the boundaries of their time. They deal with a wide array of issues and themes real and imagined, projected in song and story.
1:30pm-2:30 p.m., The Paramount, OKC Film: "A Call to Conscience"
Tavis Smiley takes a comprehensive look at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s fight to put an end to the Vietnam war, and the impact his legacy continues to make among peace activists throughout the world
2:30pm-3:00 p.m., IAO Gallery Attendees and artists will be invited to design signs promoting peace and diversity to hold during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade in downtown Oklahoma City.
3:00pm-5:00 p.m. Attendees are invited to join the parade in downtown Oklahoma City. This Event Is Free of Charge and Open to Everyone!