Kirishima Shrine
Did you know that we have a Sister City? In 2000 the City of Sonora and Kirishima, Japan, officially became “sisters.” And in the Summer of 2012 Central Sierra Arts Council is partnering with the City and ATCAA’s MentoringWorks program to create a grand youth arts celebration with our artful hands reaching across the seas. Special thanks to Front Porch, Inc. and the YES! Partnership for the generous support of this exciting community event!
Sonora’s Red Church
On Tuesday, July 31st, and again on Thursday, August 2nd, mornings will be filled with ART ACTIVITIES when a Tuolumne County artist (soon to be announced) guides area youth to paint views of Sonora. The workshops will be held from 9AM to Noon, each day–EXACT DOWNTOWN SONORA LOCATION TBA. Then the youth artwork will be exchanged with youth-created images from Kirishima.
Mentoring Work’s director, Elena Linehan, has been working to make this event happen, “I love the opportunity to view our neighborhood through the eyes of our youth. It is so interesting to see the art provided by our Sister City in Kirishima.” Linehan continues, ”It will be exciting to see our kids view of our town. It
may give us a better view of ourselves.”
“We’re so excited to help make the arts an integral part of exchange activities with our Sister City,” says Louise McPeeters, CSAC’s arts education director. “CSAC has an outstanding group of artist educators, who enjoy bringing their talents to the youth of our community. This project lets us share these treasures with our friends in Kirishima.”
To participate in this youth art exchange local children and teens need to sign up immediately. ATCAA’s MentoringWorks is handling reservations and registration. To reserve a spot for one of the FREE workshops, call MentoringWorks at (209)533-1397 ext. 229. Space is quite limited, and sign-ups are due no later than Monday, July 23rd. Each youth participant will not only receive quality art instruction, but he or she will be able to take the art materials home to keep!
According to the City of Sonora’s official website, this exchange has strong merit in our lives and in the lives of citizens of Kirishima: “We firmly believe that the sister city relationship will not only establish a long lasting friendship between the two cities but also help to foster mutual understanding and amity between the United States of America and Japan and make a contribution to world peace.”
And of course, the excitement will swell during the Artists’ Reception, which takes place on Friday, August 24th from 5PM to 7PM. This event is open to the general public. The “Views of Friendship” Art Show, featuring works by children from both cities, opens that evening and continues the following day, Saturday, August 25th, from 10AM to 2PM.
SO, GET READY FOR “VIEWS OF FRIENDSHIP: SONORA & KIRISHIMA”!
SIGN-UPS TO ATTEND ART WORKSHOPS ARE HAPPENING NOW! DEADLINE IS JULY 23rd. CALL MentoringWorks: (209)533-1397 X 229
ART WORKSHOPS TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, JULY 31st & THURSDAY, AUGUST 2nd FROM 9AM TO NOON. DOWNTOWN LOCATION TBA
ARTISTS’ RECEPTION: FRIDAY, AUGUST 24th @ SONORA OPERA HALL from 5PM TO 7PM
ART SHOW: FRIDAY, AUGUST 24th from 4PM TO 8PM & SATURDAY, AUGUST 25th from 10AM TO 2PM
“Views of Friendship” is sponsored by Central Sierra Arts Council, ATCAA’s MentoringWorks & The City of Sonora with support from the YES! Partnership and Front Porch, Inc.
