SENIOR CITIZENS UNITE WITH YOUTH AT PITT'S 16TH ANNUAL INTERGENERATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

PITTSBURGH, April 26 -- Older artists from around the region will perform and conduct workshops for children and teenagers at the 16th annual Intergenerational Arts Festival, May 1-3, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Pitt's William Pitt Union (WPU), the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard in Oakland. Generations Together, Pitt's long-standing program uniting the young and old, coordinates the event. Festival exhibits are free and open to the public.

Students from local elementary, middle, and high schools will be bused to the WPU, where they will participate in three hands-on workshops and view two performances, in the visual, literary, and performing arts, conducted by senior resource artists. Students in grades K – 4 will attend the festival Tuesday, grades 4 – 8 on Wednesday, and grades 6 – 12 on Thursday.

Performing artists include: The Dancing Demons, who have tap danced their way from the Hill District to the Apollo Theatre; Bob Gore, an actor and storyteller of African folk tales; Cathy Raphael, storyteller and professional actress; and Laura Opshinsky, a master puppeteer. She and 15 students will host a puppet performance called "How The Animals Came," featuring animal origin tales from Africa. That show will take place Tuesday, May 1, at 12:30 p.m., in the WPU Assembly Room.

More than 20 older artists will conduct the workshops, which include stained glass making, poetry, watercolors, doll making, percussion, and others. These older artists frequently demonstrate their crafts in local school art classes through Generations Together.

In addition, there will be two exhibits:

"Puppets Come to Pittsburgh," a display of puppets created by 3rd, 4th, and 5th-graders, that celebrates the immigrant traditions of Pittsburgh, located at the Kimbo Gallery in the WPU.

May 1 - 3, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

"All Creatures Great and Small," a menagerie of student artwork that captures the beauty of the natural world and all of its inhabitants, in the WPU Assembly Room.

May 1 - 3, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Generations Together has united the young and old in visual and performing arts projects for many years, with the belief that older artists can be strong role models. They have a lifelong commitment to their art, a strong work ethic, a high degree of creativity, and the ability to overcome multiple problems during their lifetime.

Projects reflected in this year's event are made possible through new grants from the Heinz Foundation and Metropolitan Life. For more information on the festival, call 412-648-7154.

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