Free Family Day at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Explores the Art of Comic Creations

EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 2, 2016) - The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art invites families to spend a day at the museum enjoying free activities at “Comic Creations” on Saturday, May 21, from noon to 3 p.m. on the University of Oregon campus. Sponsored by Kendall Auto Group and Imagination International Inc., this free event is inspired by the exhibition “Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics.”

“Families are invited to spend the day creating and viewing art together, exploring the museum’s galleries, as well as learning about storytelling through comics, animation, children’s stories, puppetry, and ballet, “ says Arthurina Fears, JSMA Manager of Museum Education Programs.

Activities include learning how to illustrate characters, , creating your own graphic novel page, and making animated shorts in a zoetrope. Visitors can also make superhero masks in the River Road Park Imagination Bus. Local Copic marker artist Marianne Walker will teach the fundamentals of Japanese comic design , including how to draw manga characters.

Performances throughout the day include storytelling focusing on aliens and creatures with librarian Cynthia Olsen and a monster-inspired ballet performance choreographed by Ballet Fantastique.
Schedule of Events
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
NewArt Northwest Kids artist reception12 p.m. – 3 p.m. Art Activities

Manga with Marianne Walker, Graphic Novel Pages, Zoetrope Animation, and Superhero Masks with the River Road Park Imagination Bus1 –1:20 p.m.
Story Time with Cynthia Olsen, Eugene Public Library
1:30 –2:15 p.m. Museum Highlights Tour

Tours available in English, French, and Spanish2:30 –2:50 p.m.

Ballet Fantastique: Performance of Monster Ballet & Fairytales Grimm

About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of seven museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

Contact:
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu

Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu