[ Update ]
Over
100 volunteers converged on the grounds of the Katherine Dunham Museum on Friday,
October 23rd through Sunday, October 25th to construct six thatch huts and pavilions
as part of the development of the African Artisinal Village Landscaping Project.
Volunteers from across the region, local residents and students from the University
of Illinois united to help revitalize the grounds of the Katherine Dunham Museum.
Starting
on Friday, October 23rd at 8:30AM volunteers began site preparation and construction
of the huts. A representative of "Safari Thatch and Bamboo" trained the volunteer
crew on the proper construction techniques, and Craig Miller, NTAC community
design specialist, supervised the construction. Craig Miller said, "The creation
of an African environment in the center of a culturally rich neighborhood like
Olivette Park is an inspiring process both from a design and community perspective."
The heroic efforts of all those involved in the project was a remarkable showing
of commitment to the community, the arts and the Katherine Dunham Centers for
Arts and Humanities mission.
The
Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities was founded by Miss Katherine
Dunham in 1969. Through the arts, the Dunham Centers seek to achieve the "humanization
and socialization of the individual and of the community as a whole." The Centers
seek to guide and encourage residents toward a fuller awareness of themselves
and their potential cultural contributions to society, while enabling them to
develop a greater understanding of the cultural dynamic of others.
The
Katherine Dunham Dynamic Museum houses an outstanding collection of symbolic
and functional art from Africa, South America and the Pacific. The Museum has
more than two hundred and fifty African and Caribbean art objects from more
than fifty countries. Tapestries, paintings, sculpture, musical instruments,
and ceremonial costumes from these and other areas of the world celebrate the
human spirit. The Museum also displays costumes, photographs, programs, letters,
and awards from Miss Dunham's long career as a dancer, choreographer, writer,
teacher and dance company director. Fashion and set designs from John Pratt's
illustrious theatrical career are also on display. Documents describing Miss
Dunham's thirty years of art education and community-building activities in
East St. Louis are also represented in the Museum's collection.
See Photos from the Blitz Build
Document author(s) : Patricia Nolan
Last modified: 23 November 1998, Deanna Koenigs
