PRESS RELEASE

May 13, 2011

MEDIA CONTACT: Jenna Stoll, (513) 287-7099 office, (513) 373-6592 cell, jstoll@cincymuseum.org

Local students work with students in Kenya to create mosaic
Artwork to be unveiled at Cincinnati Museum Center

CINCINNATI- For months, officials from Cincinnati Museum Center and students from three local schools have been working with the National Museums of Kenya at Lamu and students in Kenya on a project called In Their Own Voices. In Their Own Voices seeks to explore cultural perspectives of communities in America and Kenya as found in the rich traditions of storytelling, poetry and folklore.

Museum Center was awarded a grant to collaborate with the National Museums of Kenya at Lamu to introduce middle school-aged children to the cultural heritage arts, such as storytelling, poetry and oral histories. Students from the School for Creative and Performing Arts, St. Joseph’s Elementary School and Hayes Porter Elementary School and the children in Kenya used these various art forms to teach each other about their home countries and their everyday life. Perhaps they learned something new about themselves in the process!

Students had their own “Night at the Museum” and stayed along with staff, teachers and artists to wake up early and Skype with the children in Kenya. Students got to know a little more about each other, as close to in-person as they could get!

Over the 8-month period students were exposed to various oral traditions and examples of creative writing, interpretation and performance of those traditions, as well as the tools and techniques for creating their own stories. Their collaborative stories will be unveiled on Monday, May 16 at a ceremony also welcoming the Kenyan delegation to Cincinnati. Join us from 10-11 a.m. to welcome the Kenyans to Cincinnati and watch as we unveil more than 120 individual pieces from each student involved in the project, together to create a beautiful mosaic that will be displayed at Cincinnati Museum Center.

For more information call (513) 287-7000.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration. As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center has served as an educational, research and entertainment resource to millions of visitors from around the world. Organizations within Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. These organizations combine to serve more than one million visitors annually, reaching out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs. Originally built in 1933 as a train station, Union Terminal stands as one of the last remaining grand-scale Art Deco style railroad terminals. The building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. For information, call 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.