PNC Odyssey Series Features Artist Gail Shapiro

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central 2007-08 Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series will host a reception for artist Gail Shapiro on Friday, June 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02. Shapiro will open her show, “Beneath the Sahara” with a brief presentation about her artwork. There will be an opportunity to meet the artist. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

” Beneath the Sahara” will run through Oct. 1. The show features paintings of acrylic on canvas that were inspired by Shapiro’s travels to sub-Saharan Africa.

“The beauty of the countries and the people are heavily contrasted with the political disorder – the struggle between the leadership and the populations. I have chosen – for the most part – to show the beauty of the people and the land.”
She explains that there is a vast difference between city life and the countryside. “I was charmed by much of what I saw and frightened by the potential for danger at every turn,” Shapiro explained. “From the Okavongu Delta to Capetown, I tried to understand what I saw. I came back with a thousand ideas and have attempted to show the beauty and wonders of these places.”

Shapiro vows to return. “Maybe next time I will again see the thundering herds of animals and drink in the sunsets.”

Shapiro is a graduate of Northwestern University and has studied at the National College of Education and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has pursued independent art studies throughout the Chicago area. She has taught in the Chicago Public Schools as well as Wright Junior College and the College of Lake County in Illinois. She has also directed art programs and lent her skills to various schools and agencies in the Chicago area.

Her art has been featured in shows and galleries in Chicago, Michigan and Indiana.
To arrange a tour of Shapiro’s art or to obtain further information about the Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC director of marketing at 800-872-1231, ext. 5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Carol Connelly at 800-872-1231, ext. 5267.     
 
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