Celebrating 45 Years of Fine Arts in Peoria
To mark the conclusion of its 45th season of fine arts programming, the Fine Arts Society (FAS) of Peoria will host a special evening event on April 24, 2007, featuring two very special forms of art born in America. One is Black Gospel music and the other is known as outsider art.
The program is open to the public and will take place at First Baptist Church, 411 West Lake Ave., Peoria, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $2 for students. (They are available at the door and online through ArtsPartners.)
Gospel music was chosen as one of the components of the FAS 45th anniversary celebration because of its passion, beauty and uplifting spirit. Outsider art is a natural companion because its practitioners, who essentially are without formal art training, often have been motivated by the gospel songs they love. Indeed, much of outsider art contains an irresistible celebratory energy and truly could be considered the visual equivalent of gospel music.
Artist-teacher Pixie Jacquin of Peoria will kick off the program with a lecture/slide presentation on outsider – sometimes called visionary or intuitive – art. Then, under the direction of Francis Duren, the phenomenal Zion Inspirational Choir will perform six selections representing various gospel music types and periods. At the end of the evening, refreshments will be served and outsider art pieces from Mrs. Jacquin's extensive collection will be available for viewing.
Others involved with the 45th anniversary celebration are Peoria Central High School art teacher Roseann Tomko's drawing and graphic design students along with members of the Peoria High Student Council. Some helped generate publicity posters and souvenir programs, some volunteered to assist with ticket-taking and ushering duties and one student – Nate Lohr – created the anniversary logo.
In her lecture Mrs. Jacquin will present background information on outsider art in general and highlight the works of Sister Gertrude Morgan, Myrtice West, Howard Finster, Nellie Mae Rowe, Benjamin "B.F." Perkins and Lorenzo Scott.
Here are the songs to be sung by the Zion Inspirational Choir:
- "Walking in the Light" – spiritual
- "Woke Up This Morning with My Mind" – early, turn-of-the-century, traditional congregational song
- "Brighter Day Ahead" – traditional gospel with blues influence from the Golden Age of gospel
- "Jesus Saves" – traditional gospel based on a hymn, 1960s
- "Shout" – contemporary gospel, praise song with R&B influence
- "Total Praise" – contemporary gospel with classical influence
Our Artists
Having received her BA in education at Marycrest College, Davenport, IA, and her Master's degree in art education from the University of Illinois, Pixie Jacquin is completing her studies for a Ph.D. in art education, also from the University of Illinois. Her dissertation topic is outsider art.
Mrs. Jacquin taught art for 35 years in Illinois school systems including Peoria District 150 and presently is an adjunct faculty member at Bradley University, where she instructs art education students. In addition, she soon will be teaching her fifth course on outsider art for the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) at Bradley.
Although she was trained as a fine artist, Mrs. Jacquin recently has been working in a contemporary folk art style. She has shown at numerous galleries, juried exhibits and festivals, the most recent being "The Grand Festival of Art" in Fairhope, AL (October, 2006), and "Where the Art Meets the Soul" at the House of Blues in Orlando, FL (November, 2006).
Founded in 1963, the Zion Inspirational Choir is the senior choir at Zion Baptist Church, 323 West Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive, Peoria. Rev. Samuel T. Duren is the pastor and Francis Duren has been director of the choir since 1972. Musicians are Charles Linwood and Gary Trammell on keyboards and Jonathan Duren on drums.
The choir consists of 25 members and specializes in Black Gospel music. Director Francis Duren is a fine singer himself and a popular lecturer for ILR at Bradley University, where he currently is scheduled to offer a third session of his highly regarded course on the "History of Black Gospel Music in America."
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Last updated on September 2, 2010.
