PROVIDENCE - Providence �CityArts! for Youth will honor local artists Peter Geisser and Mika Seeger with their 3rd Annual Sr. Ann Keefe Award for Creativity and Social Justice at their annual spring fundraiser, Art Blossoms, on May 2 at the Providence Art Club. Geisser and Seeger will be recognized for their exceptional contributions to communities in Rhode Island through artistic programs and projects. Mayor Angel Taveras will present the award at the annual gala, which is expected to draw 150 guests.
"We're recognizing Peter and Mika for all that they have done in their careers and their lives to make arts accessible to at-risk youth, and to share their creativity and passion for art through their many public arts projects in our state," said �CityArts! Executive Director Barbara Wong.
Their most recent collaboration through Rhode Island's 1% for Public Art Program, is an 80ft abstract mosaic mural that covers 8 sections of a main hallways of the Rhode Island Youth Development Facility in Cranston. Geisser and Seeger worked with 100 student inmates and teachers to design and build a visual response to the questions, "Where have we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?"
Other examples of their work include the Circle of Clay at Hasbro Children's Hospital; the Transportation Center installation at Kennedy Plaza; and The Waves of Narragansett for the Gilbane Co. in Narragansett, RI; and the 49ft long "Past Points" Mural in Providence's India Point Park, in which over 500 Providence residents of all ages participated by making the mural's stoneware tiles in workshops with the artists.
"The award has so much meaning for �CityArts! - given Sr. Ann's legacy for connecting children to art in our communities - and for supporting artists who are committed to sharing their creativity through public service," said Wong.
The Sr. Ann Keefe Award for Creativity and Social Justice, now in its third year, is designed to recognize individuals who inspire action for social change through a creative lens. �CityArts! was founded in 1992 by Sr. Anne Keefe, SSJ, on the belief that youth can achieve to their fullest potential when a community works together to make empowering, creative opportunities available to them. The 2012 award honored Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for his years of public service to RI and leadership efforts on the National Council on the Arts; the inaugural 2011 award was presented to Sr. Ann Keefe.
Art Blossoms is open to the public. Tickets are $65 before April 27, $75 after and at the door. Sponsorship and Patron Donor packages are available. Tickets may be purchased by calling 401-941-0795 x 104 or by visiting www.providencecityarts.org.
For press images and more information about Art Blossoms and the Sr. Ann Keefe Award, contact Jenn Bratovich at 401-941-0795 x 104 or jenn@providencecityarts.org.
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PETER GEISSER is a stained glass artist who has created windows and mosaics throughout New England, and is an active and celebrated member of the Rhode Island Arts and Art Education Communities. After 30 years Peter retired as the Art Director at the RI School for the Deaf, where he created the renowned and highly regarded Art/Art History program, and has directed numerous creative projects aimed at children and communities with special needs. Geisser holds a BS in Education and MFA in Stained Glass and Mosaics from Tufts University, with an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2008 he received the Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts. He was a �CityArts! Board member from 2010 to January 2013. For a full list of Geisser's projects and awards, visit http://www.petergeisser.net
MIKA SEEGER is a potter and muralist with forty years experience in high-fire ceramics. Her time teaching in Nicaragua inspired her to make her first ceramic mural in 1990, with the participation of members of the Beacon Sloop Club on the banks of the Hudson River. Since then she has made and installed more than 20, almost all with community participation. Public sites include libraries, schools, open-air parks and walls, and the bus station at Kennedy Plaza in Providence. In 2009 Seeger and her husband Joe Bossom conceived of and initiated the construction of Sandywoods Farm Arts and Agricultural Community in northeast Tiverton, which provides affordable rental housing and promotes cooperative living, sustainability and creative practice. Built and owned by Church Community Housing of Newport, RI,, Sandywoods Farm continues to be a work in progress. www.mikaseeger.com
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