CONTACT:
Helen West, 312-593-0230
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WVON SIGNS ON AS MEDIA SPONSOR FOR 6THANNUAL LAKE MEADOWS ART FAIR
JUNE 19 & 20
Lowell Thompson Featured artist; Timuel Black, Tony Burroughs & Dan Parker honorees
CHICAGO (May 20, 2010) -- WVON Radio has signed on as media sponsor of the 6th annual Lake Meadows Art Fair June 19 & 20 in Bronzeville. The boutique of Chicago art fairs, the Lake Meadows Art Fair brings together established fine artists, artisans and musicians in a two-day celebration of African American culture. The 2010 fair is dedicated to Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. Lowell Thompson, artist-writer, creative catalyst and recovering adman is the 2010 Fair’s featured artist.
Helen West, Art Fair producer and organizer said, “We’re happy to welcome WVON as a sponsor. Their commitment to culture makes them a perfect match. We hope to have a long mutually beneficial relationship.”
Said Melody Spann Cooper, chairman and president, “We have a great respect for our local artists and the history that the Lake Meadows Art Fair has built and we are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Art Fair.”
WVON’s Pam Morris will host a new Gospel segment on Sunday, June 20th featuring The Celestials and Deacon Reuben Burton & the Victory Travelers. Later in the day, a Jazz segment hosted by Deborah Crable and Don Rashid will feature Grammy-Award winning vocalist Joan Collaso. On Saturday, June 19 WVON’s Cliff Kelley co-hosts the Juneteeth Celebration with Crable. Entertainment will be provided by Julia Huff & the Dudley Owens Quartet. There will also be a book signing by genealogist Tony Burroughs who will be honored along with historian Timuel Black, and art collector Daniel Parker for “making important contributions to the creation, presentation and preservation of arts and culture in Chicago.” Burroughs’ new book is Black Roots: A Beginner’s Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree. Providing the musical backdrop to the 2-day fair will be returning deejay LaRay Reddin.
Lake Park Crescent also comes aboard as a sponsor, joining the Lake Meadows Shopping Center who generously provide the venue and support marketing and advertising.
The Lake Meadows Art Fair is held from 11a – 8p daily Saturday and Sunday, June 19 & 20 at the Lake Meadows Shopping Center, 35th Street and King Drive. For further information, call 312-593-0230 or visit www.LakeMeadowsArtFair.com.
Begun in the 1950s by artist and educator Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Lake Meadows Art Fair provided a venue for African American artists denied access to mainstream galleries to exhibit their works. For years it was the premiere showcase for Black artists. Following a long hiatus, in 2004 the fair was revived by gallery owner and curator Helen West of Neleh Galleries, Ltd as the new Lake Meadows Arts Fair. In six years, the Fair has built a reputation as a premiere outlet for fine art, prints and wearable art.
The Bronzeville community has again become a destination for arts & culture in Chicago and the Lake Meadows Art Fair has a distinguished role in its continued evolution.
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