GVSU brings Smithsonian curator to UICA

The Department of Art and Design at Grand Valley will presents a free, public lecture by Karen Milbourne, curator at the National Museum of African Art of the Smithsonian Institution.

On Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m., Milbourne will speak at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, 41 Sheldon Blvd. SE, Grand Rapids. Her talk will focus on the exhibit, "Artists in Dialogue: António Ole and Aimé Mpane," on view at the National Museum until August 2.

This exhibition inaugurates a new series in which talented African artists are invited to participate in a dialogue — a visual one in which each artist responds to the work of the other. António Ole of Angola and Aimé Mpane of Democratic Republic of Congo, bring their subtle and sophisticated manipulation of found and organic materials to create visually rich, multi-media installations that speak to the political and economic challenges of their home countries.

For more information, call the Art and Design at (616) 331-3486. For details about the exhibit, visit africa.si.edu .