Media Release

Day-long “ACT OUT: ART IN!” workshop offers local junior-high & high-school students a dramatic fall break opportunity

Lawrence, KS – Fall break in Lawrence promises to be a dramatic experience for seventh- through 12th-graders who participate in a new art-into-theater workshop that focuses on the current Spencer exhibition The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment, 1965-2005.

With USD 497 junior-high and senior-high classes not in session Friday, Oct. 16, the Spencer and the Lawrence Youth Ensemble staff have teamed up to offer ACT OUT: ART IN!, a daylong camp blending visual art and theatre, catering specifically to students in grades seven through 12.

Workshop participants will investigate The Graphic Imperative exhibition, then work with professional theater producers to create sets, scenarios, and characters based on the posters and the messages that inspire them. Students will devise their own 15-minute “protest” play and produce a free public performance at 4:30 PM, within the exhibition space.

“We are so fortunate to be collaborating with the Lawrence Youth Ensemble group, and this promises to be a terrific program that will allow students to explore their creativity in fresh ways,” says Sorcha Hyland, SMA Youth & Family Outreach Coordinator. “Set-design, art direction, choreography, and music will feature strongly, so back-stage talent, not just on-stage talent is needed.”

Class size is limited, but spots are still available. Lunch is included in the class fee: $20 for children of Friends of the Art Museum members, $25 for non-members. Scholarships are also available upon request; to be considered for a scholarship, a brief, written statement of interest is required. Though walk-in registrations are welcome, advance registration is recommended. Please contact the Museum for further details or to enroll: smakids@ku.edu or 785.864.0137.