The Kansas City Public Library hosts the annual Missouri 5th Congressional District student art exhibit and town hall gathering, where U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and his wife, Dianne Cleaver, will recognize local high school artists.
All student art submissions will be on display at the Central Library from April 11-16, 2015. One will go on display for a year in Washington, D.C.—in the Cannon tunnel leading from the Cannon House Office Building to the U.S. Capitol—an honor that went to a student from Lee’s Summit High School in 2014.
(Kansas City, Missouri) - U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and his wife, Dianne Cleaver, will honor local high school artists on Saturday, April 11, at 2 p.m. when they preside over the annual Missouri 5th Congressional District student art exhibit.
Kris Ketz, the Emmy-winning anchor and reporter for Kansas City television station KMBC, and KMBZ radio's afternoon drive-time cohost, Dana Wright, will emcee the program at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. The event also will salute Kansas City artist and teacher Lonnie Powell for his commitment to arts and culture in the Kansas City area.
The student art exhibit is part of a nationwide program, A Voyage of Artistic Discovery, sponsored by members of the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize and encourage artistic talent in their districts. One submission from each district is selected for yearlong display in the Cannon tunnel leading from the Cannon House Office Building to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
A year ago, in the 5th Congressional District, that honor went to the work of Lee's Summit High School's Jane Orrick.
All 2015 submissions from students in the district will be on display at the Central Library from April 11-16, 2015. Since the competitive program began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school artists across the country have participated.
Powell, a longtime art teacher in the Kansas City School District whose own work has been exhibited throughout the region, will be presented a copy of a Congressional Record in which his contributions are cited. Powell is co-founder of the Euphrates Gallery and founder and past president of The Light in the Other Room, a collaborative of African American artists based in Kansas City. And he is a charter board member and past board president of the Black Archives of Mid-America and past president of the Friend of Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center.
Admission is free. A 1:30 p.m. reception precedes the event. RSVP at kclibrary.org or call 816.701.3407. Free parking is available in the Library District parking garage at 10th & Baltimore.