September 26, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Elaine Baney, Education Coordinator

(814) 946-4464

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SCHEDULED AT SAMA-LORETTO

             Loretto – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art will hold a Professional Development Workshop for teachers, artists and school administrators on Monday, October 9 at SAMA’s Loretto facility. The workshop, designed to illustrate the importance of art in education, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme of the workshop is “Advocacy and Funding for Arts Education Programming.”

            The morning session will feature a presentation by Sharon Wall, art teacher at Altoona Area High School, who will be discussing opportunities for art advocacy in both schools and communities. Wall received a B.FA from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s in fabric design and printmaking from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

            During the afternoon session, attendees will participate in a grant-writing seminar led by Eleanor Feeley. As the Theatre and Gallery Manager at Penn State-Altoona, Feeley oversees the administration and programming for a 400-seat theatre, two small gallery spaces, and a conference space. She is a board member of the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance and has previously worked as a grants program specialist for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Dance Program.

            Cost for the workshop is $30 per person, which includes coffee and pastry in the morning and lunch in the afternoon. Reservations are required by October 7 and can be made by calling SAMA Education Administrator, Tina Lehman, at (814) 269-7234. Educators may receive 5 ½ hours of Act 48 credit with participation.

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Loretto is located on the campus of Saint Francis University. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Museum at (814) 472-3920 or visit www.sama-art.org.