Contact Program Contact Gregory Steel IU Kokomo Art Gallery (765) 455-9523 www.iuk.edu/artgallery Department of Humanities (765) 455-9248 www.iuk.edu/humanities Media Contact Mary Ellen Stephenson OCM (765) 455-9414 mestephe@iuk.edu

IU Kokomo offers performative event series

KOKOMO, Ind.—The first in a series of performance art pieces, or performative events, will be offered Thursday, April 19, at the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery. Gallery Director Gregory Steel conceived the series titled “echo,” as “a way to bring edgy forms of artistic practice” to the campus. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.; admission is free and open to the public.

In “echo,” Steel and student performers will present multiple perspectives on current social issues. Highly improvised, the performances are ideally “drawn from life and experience as they unfold and are addressed by those willing to do so,” Steel said. Future events will occur at various campus locations, he added. “These will be one-time-only events, open to accidental revision and happenstance.”

Student presenters for the April 19 performative event include Erika Young of Logansport and Amanda Astarita, Biz Bates, Terra Brantley, Jamey Brantley, and Todd Updegraff, all of Kokomo.

A lecturer in fine arts at IU Kokomo, Steel has built a national and international reputation for his work in a variety of artistic paradigms, including sculpture, video, and live performance. Digital media and technology will play a part in the performance structure of the “echo” series and will “integrate the space with additional symbolic reference,” Steel said. “We hope that people will find this truly anti-commercial art form and practice an interesting and thought-provoking experience.”

The “echo” series is one aspect of a comprehensive schedule of shows, events, lectures, and demonstrations being developed by the IU Kokomo Art Gallery and the School of Arts and Sciences in order to integrate the arts into the educational system and highlight the importance of the creative act in all aspects of life. To learn about exhibitions at the IU Kokomo Art Gallery, visit www.iuk.edu/artgallery or call (765) 455-9523.

Fine Arts degree in the works

Steel is one of several faculty members working to establish a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts degree program within IU Kokomo’s School of Arts and Sciences this year. A fine arts minor is currently offered in the Department of Humanities. For more information on fine arts offerings at IU Kokomo, visit www.iuk.edu/humanities or call (765) 455-9248.