FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 7/11/09
Morgan Arts Council • Berkeley Springs, WV
Press contact only: Pat Springer - 304-258-3139

PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

AFRICAN ART GALLERY SHOW HAS A CAUSE

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV -----A gallery filled with African arts and
crafts from baskets to beads and colorful fabric items showcases the
healing power of art -- literally. The Art Africa special gallery
exhibit produced by the Morgan Arts Council (MAC) opens at the Ice
House on Friday, July 24 with a special reception. Art Africa hangs
through August 30 and is curated by Dr. Manahz Motavalli-Oliner,
originator of the Women's Art Project of Kampala, Uganda. In addition
to the work produced by the women of Kampala, the show offers African
sculpture and masks from Queen Street Gallery in Martinsburg.

As part of an Artwalk on Friday, Mountain Laurel Gallery has a special
display of water colors by Suzanne Bell from 5 to 7pm.

The art project was developed by Motavalli-Oliner, a physician with
the MU-Johns Hopkins University Research Center in Kampala which works
with HIV-positive women. When she realized there were no funds
available for the women to keep their children with them, she
established the project as a way to earn revenue. In addition, the
project also helps the women live more productive and fruitful lives
through their artwork. "It seems ideal for the Morgan Arts Council
and Berkeley Springs as an art town to support these women in Africa
and help them live better lives through art," says Mary Hott,
Executive Director of MAC. The previous showcasing of Art Africa in
the spring of 2007 was very popular.

The curated gallery exhibit produced by the Morgan Arts Council is
funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia
Commission on the Arts and hotel/motel tax revenues. The Ice House is
located on the corner of Independence and Mercer and is open Friday
through Monday from 11am to 5pm. For more information call 258-2300 or
check online at www.macicehouse.org.