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UI Museum of Art Family Day will explore Africa

Musical performances, storytelling, interactive games and videos shot on location will take UI Museum of Art (UIMA) visitors on an African cultural voyage during "WOW! Family Day: An African Celebration," a free, public event from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday in the museum.

Using the UIMA's permanent collection of African Art as a basis, the celebration will present interdisciplinary activities that teach children the history and context of African artwork.

"We really wanted to give the public a chance to experience other African art forms in addition to what is in the galleries," says Dale Fisher, the museum's director of education.

Scheduled Family Day performers are Jacqueline Thompson, an Ottumwa-based performing artist and educator; and the UI Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance Ensemble.

In her interactive "African Safari," Thompson will use storytelling, singing and dance to explore the diversity of the world's second-largest continent.

Family Day participants can see the influence of African culture on another country in the rhythms and dance of the UI Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance Ensemble, which studies the folkloric music and dance traditions of Cuba.

Between performances, visitors can watch screenings of films by Christopher Roy, UIMA African art research curator and the Elizabeth M. Stanley faculty fellow of African art history in the UI Department of Art and Art History. Roy, a renowned expert on the art of Burkina Faso, shot footage for these films on location during his research.

Children can also take part in scheduled games and curriculum-based activities, many of which were planned by Fisher in collaboration with a group of UI museum studies students. By attending weekly meetings at the museum, these students simultaneously fulfilled a requirement for their Museum Studies Certificate and gained hands-on museum experience.

The UI Museum of Art is located on North Riverside Drive in Iowa City. The museum is open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Admission is free. Public metered parking is available in UI parking lots west and north of the museum.