Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Alice Guffey Miller is Coming to This Year's Spring Arts Festival!


Alice Guffey Miller, one of the nation’s leading female artists, is coming to Minden in April for this year's Spring Arts Festival!

The Arkansas native is 'one of the great unsung art geniuses of our time,' says poet laureate Robert Moore. Kids love her; contemporaries marvel at her abilities. You may have seen her art around the state or region…or even in Pottsdam, Germany.


Miller worked with 600 volunteers from the Waldron school district to construct "Pop, the Magic Dragon." Alice creates grant scale 'involvement sculptures' always emphasizing environmental awareness and community creativity. She uses a variety of recyclable materials in her work. "Pop, the Magic Dragon" contained 2,000 green plastic (Sprite and 7-up) bottles, inner tubes, tires, Styrofoam, wire and rebar.

The 'trashformer' as she calls herself is this year's featured artist for the Spring Arts Festival. Ms. Miller will be working with more than 250 third graders on Thursday and Friday, April 28 and 29 to create the newly adopted Farm mascot, the Funky Chicken.


While Miller claims her favorite art piece is the 'one I just finished,' Miller gives art a boost by "turning on" school children to the discipline through hands-on projects that display a "play" spirit and child-like quality that is both joyful and humorous. "She's a magician with kids! Every little thing that turns children on to their artistic talents is a benefit to all mankind." –Robert Moore.

Third graders from area elementary schools will be bused in to the Farm on Thursday and Friday(April 28-29) of festival week for a full day of hands -on art interaction with professional artists including Alice Guffey Miller. This art experience for many of these children is their first! It is provided free of charge thanks to local corporate support and grants from the Webster Parish Tourism Commission, the LA Div. of the Arts, the LA Ofc. of Culture, Recreation & Tourism and the Shreveport Arts Council.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sounds like a big event in the works.

GadgetSponge.com said...

It definitely will Abe! Too bad you're so far away.