FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org
Smithsonian comic artist visits Cincinnati Museum Center Jan 24 & 25
Drink and draw event Friday evening, kid-friendly events Saturday
CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is putting an innovative spin on history. CMC is bringing Smithsonian comic artist Evan Keeling in for a series of events to show history has a little more zip than textbooks would lead you to believe. Keeling will lead a drink and draw event on Friday, January 24 followed by comic book workshops for kids and families on Saturday, January 25.
CMC will host a drink and draw from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 24 where amateur artists and doodlers can speak with Keeling with a drink in hand and pencil in the other. Guests are encouraged to use museum artifacts as inspiration or their own comics during the evening or to simply enjoy Keeling’s take on the Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibition. The drink and draw is included with admission to the exhibition and a cash bar will be available.
On Saturday, January 25, Keeling will lead a series of events for kids and families in the Destination Moon exhibition and Duke Energy Children’s Museum. At 11 a.m. Keeling will read from his comics in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum before hosting a drop-in comic drawing workshop from noon to 3 p.m. During the workshop kids will learn how to fold a single piece of paper into an eight-page comic book and then how to turn historic events into their own comics. The workshop is scalable to all skill levels – a stick figure with a beard and a top hat easily becomes Abraham Lincoln for even the most basic artist. Participants in the comic reading or workshop will receive one of Keeling’s comic books.
From 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 25, Keeling will present informal gallery talks in Destination Moon, showcasing his own artwork inspired by the exhibition and his artistic process.
Keeling, a graphic design graduate from the Corcoran College of Art + Design, has spent the past 15 years as an exhibit specialist in Smithsonian Exhibits’ graphics department. He’s a print and web published comic book author who has covered topics ranging from the Apollo 11 mission and Thomas Jefferson to Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Japanese internment camps for the Smithsonian.
Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission showcases objects from the historic Moon landing, including Buzz Aldrin’s iconic gold-visored helmet and gloves and the Apollo 11 command module Columbia itself. Visit cincymuseum.org/destination-moon to learn more.
About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of a select few museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation's 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org.