Press Release

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DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS
HARAMBEE FESTIVAL COMMUNITY DAY

Wilmington, DE (August 22, 2007) – The Delaware Art Museum has partnered with the Delaware Kenya Association (DEKA) to present the Harambee Festival Community Day on Sunday, August 26, 2007, from noon – 3:30 p.m. at the Museum.  This celebration of unity features a variety of Pan-African performance artists, family art projects, special Museum tours, language workshops, and a selection of Pan-African food.  Harambee, the Kiswahili word for “pulling together,” is the central theme of the festival as well as the focus of DEKA, a non-profit organization supporting Kenyan immigrants in Delaware as well as Kenyan issues at home and abroad. 

“We are very excited to be working with the Delaware Kenya Association to bring an understanding of Harambee to our visitors,” said Renay A. Mercer, Community Programs Manager at the Delaware Art Museum.  “Families will definitely enjoy the performances and activities this Community Day offers.”

Live performances throughout the day will include music by Urban Shamans, singing by Balfour Gore, African folktales by Eunice LaFate, and comedy by Patrick Wanyoike.  The Museum is offering three family art projects related to Pan-African culture, including one focused on Massai crafts.  A “Studio Sampler” will be held in the Bank of America Education Wing, featuring a ceramics demonstration in addition to painting and drawing workshops.  A Highlights Tour of the Museum’s permanent collection will precede a Harambee-themed tour of Museum works.  DEKA will offer language workshops teaching Kiswahili words and phrases.  Additionally, the Museum Store will be selling art pieces from East and South Africa, and the delART Café will feature several choices of Pan-African fare. 
 
Admission to the Harambee Festival Community Day is free.  Free Sundays at the Museum are sponsored by AstraZeneca.

For additional information about the Harambee Festival Community Day, please contact Renay A. Mercer at 302-571-9590 ext. 545 or rmercer@delart.org.
 
The Delaware Art Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday noon – 4:00 p.m.  Regular admission is adults (18-59) $10, seniors (60+) $8, college students $5, and youth (7-17) $3, with children 6 and under entering for free, and admission free to all visitors on Sunday.  For more information, call 302-571-9590 or visit the website at http://www.delart.org.

Founded in 1912, the Delaware Art Museum holds a world-renowned collection that focuses on American art and illustration from the 19th century to the present as well as the British pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-19th century.  The Museum offers the outdoor Copeland Sculpture Park, the Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, studio art classes, the interactive Kid’s Corner learning area, the delART Café featuring free Wi-Fi access, and the Museum Store with distinctive books and gifts.