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Spring of 2019

In-School Performances

Dates – March, 2019

October 15, 2017

Public Performances

2:00 pm and 6:00 pm

 Arts United Center
303 East Main, Ft. Wayne

Register

CHANGE TO Extra class name of: infoside

Registration opens December 1, 2016

Grand Wayne Convention Center
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Lesson plans

Nicholas Sironka. Picture from https://www.artbysironka.com

Nicholas Sironka. Picture from https://www.artbysironka.com

Griot Ensemble

Griot Ensemble

Griot Ensemble

The FAME Visiting Artist Program invites Internationally renowned professional artists to be a part of our annual FAME Festival and to visit area schools bringing their talents into the classroom.  Each artist is selected from  a variety of artistic disciplines creating work that relates to the annual cultural focus of FAME. For 2018-2019 FAME’s theme is “Sub-Saharan Africa”.  These artists visit classrooms to provide presentations and hands-on activities at local FAME member schools..  If you would like to be a FAME member school, click here.

FAME would like to welcome back Nicholas Sironka to Fort Wayne in March 2019 as our visiting artist. Sironka will be visiting our schools teaching  our children the art of Batik.

Nicholas Sironka, a self taught Maasai visual artist from Kenya, enjoys teaching the medium of Batik, which is art created with the use of hot wax and cold water fabric dye.

As a child, Sironka enjoyed drawing and painting with supportive parents who encouraged his artistic talents by buying art coloring and drawing books.

Sironka started his art career working as a freelance artist illustrating for book publishers and as a graphic artist for local magazines in Kenya. In 1993 Sironka illustrated a book called “Mcheshi goes to the Market,” which won the Pan African Children’s Award, the Jomo Kenyatta Award in Nairobi Kenya, and the Exchange Book of Excellence in San Francisco.

In 1993 Sironka was hired by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) where he taught refugee children from Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan how to portray their past traumatic experiences using art. The artwork produced by the children where made into a book titled “One Day We Had to Run!”

In 2000-2001, Sironka was awarded the prestigious Fullbright Scholar –In-Re-sidence Award by the US Government, to come teach Batik art and Maasai Culture in Spokane, Washington and to several other states in the U.S..

Sironka has taught in many elementary schools, high schools and Universities in the United States and we are pleased to have Sironka sharing his talents and culture with our students.

You can see more of his profile in a YouTube video produced by Scotopia Pictures with Nancy Guppy for Seattle ARTZONE on Nov 26, 2015.

Griot Drum Ensemble

The other visiting artists is the Griot Drum Ensemble led by veteran storyteller, Khabir Shareef. The ensemble has been together since 1999 and are regular performers at The Indianapolis Children’s Museum, regional festivals, libraries and community events, and anywhere that African music and storytelling are appreciated. Khabir Shareef is a storyteller, teaching artist with Arts for Learning and ArtMix of Indiana, and a three-time recipient of the Indiana Arts Commission’s individual artist grant.

FAME is pleased to be able to bring world renowned artists to Fort Wayne. These artists visit classrooms to provide presentations and hands-on activities at local FAME member schools. If you would like to be a FAME member school, click here.

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