A Soulful Celebration

GMOA's upcoming Black History Month event, "A Soulful Celebration," is getting some more press, this time from UGA, which has posted our news release and incorporated the event in one of its own.

Here's some of the relevant information:

Athens, Ga. – The Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art, the membership program of the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, have organized “A Soulful Celebration,” a dinner and concert event to be held Feb. 24, in celebration of Black History Month and honoring Louis and Mae Castenell.

The dinner will include an art exhibition featuring works by local African-American artists John Ahee, Harold Rittenberry and Yvonne Studevan. The dinner and exhibition begin at 6 p.m. at the UGA Visual Arts Building on Jackson Street and cost $40 per person.

A gospel concert by Ebenezer Baptist Church West Choir will follow at the UGA Chapel on North Campus at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Louis Castenell was the first African-American dean at UGA and served as dean of the College of Education for eight years. During his time at the university, he has worked hard to increase diversity awareness on campus. His wife, Mae, is a founding and active member of the Athens Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.

“A Soulful Celebration” is sponsored by Athens First Bank and Trust; Athens Chapter of The Links, Incorporated; Todd Emily; David S. and Rebecca Lockman; Christine Albright; and Peter Appel.

Those interested in attending the dinner and art exhibition should R.S.V.P. to 706/542-0830 by Friday, Feb. 19.

Dinner will be catered by The National. Please remember that, even if you can't make the dinner or your wallet won't let you at the moment, the performance following it is as free as free can be and requires no reservations. The choir is fantastic, and if you haven't ever seen them perform, this is a wonderful opportunity to do so.