April 16, 2004

Media Advisory

Some 4,000 energetic children from around the region will soak up all sorts of cultural experiences during the 18th Annual Arts in Education Festival Tuesday and Wednesday, April 20 and 21, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The kids, all first- through fifth-graders, will crowd into auditoriums, studios, music halls and galleries across campus.

They will experience opera, ballet, musical performances, tour the museum and art studios, as well as dabble in hands-on art activities.

Events begin both days at 9:45 a.m. and wrap up at 1:30 p.m.

That's when you'll find performances and activities going on in Shryock Auditorium, the University Museum, the Student Center, the Old Baptist Foundation, and Pulliam Hall's art studios.

This festival relies on the generous assistance of numerous volunteers including artists, community volunteers, chaperones and SIUC staff and students.

Sponsors include the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Education and Human Services. Also this program is partially supported by the Carbondale Community Arts, Southern Arts Fund, by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency and by the National Endowment for the Arts.