Twenty-second annual Iyoya exhibit to celebrate local children’s art, culminates in “I Won’t Grow Up Day”. March 25 - 31, 2007

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – More than 350 works of art by local nursery, elementary, and intermediate students will be on display in Vassar College's twenty-second annual John Iyoya Children's Art Show.

The exhibit will be shown Sunday, March 25 through Saturday, March 31 in the James W. Palmer Gallery. The college's "I Won't Grow Up Day" for local families marks the last day of the art show. Both events are in the College Center and are free and open to the public (see further details below).

"A Celebration of Children's Art" at Vassar is a way to highlight young children's interest in the visual arts and encourage their use of the arts to express themselves. The exhibit's namesake, John Iyoya, was a former Vassar student known for his creativity and love of children.

"I think my students think it's cool – the idea that their work is being shown to the public – and it gives them a chance to feel like an artist," said Bill Sterling, an art teacher at Warring Magnet Academy and Columbus School in Poughkeepsie. "The children's art show also gives my students a chance to visit Vassar, and that is an eye-opener for them."

Drawing by Eric Sbrollini, Grade 3, Joseph D'Aquanni West Road Intermediate School, Poughkeepsie

The 2007 John Iyoya Children's Art Show will include student artwork from the Joseph D'Aquanni West Road Intermediate School, Traver Road Primary School, Noxon Road Elementary School, Overlook Primary School, G.W. Krieger Elementary School, Arthur S. May Elementary School, Vail Farm Elementary School, Morse Magnet Elementary, Warring Magnet Academy, Columbus School, Hagan Elementary, and the Wimpfheimer Nursery School of Vassar College.

The art show is sponsored by the Department of Education at Vassar College, in cooperation with the Office of Campus Activities. For additional information, please contact Linda Cantor, visiting instructor in education, at (845) 437-7365. For gallery hours, or to arrange accommodations for people with disabilities, call the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370.

ABOUT "I WON'T GROW UP DAY"

The twenty-seventh annual "I Won't Grow Up Day" will be held on Saturday, March 31 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the College Center. The event brings children and people of all ages together to raise awareness about child abuse and raise money for Poughkeepsie's Child Abuse Prevention Center. It is free and open to the public.

Festivities include arts and crafts, games, a bouncy castle, a beanbag toss, karaoke, circus performances by Vassar's Barefoot Monkeys group, educational displays, and more. "I Won't Grow Up Day" is sponsored by T.O.N.C.A. (Together Opposing Neglect and Child Abuse), a student group at Vassar College. For more information, call the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2007.