March 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Barbara Hollander, SAMA-Altoona Coordinator

(814) 946-4464

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

BLUE MONDAY RETURNS FOR THIRD SEASON AT SAMA-ALTOONA

            Altoona – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is pleased to announce the return of its popular art and music series, Blue Monday. This will be the third year for the program, which kicks off on April 14. Blue Monday is held from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Monday of every month, April through September. The program begins with a guided exhibition tour at SAMA-Altoona, and is followed by hors d’oeuvres and libations while guests listen to some of the Altoona region’s finest musical talent. Cost for Blue Monday is $20 per person.

            The Museum is offering something different for its 2008 opener. For the first time, the Blue Monday series will feature barbershop music, as performed by The Sharp Tones. Comprised of Oscar Stuckey and Denny Ivory, the duo is noted for bringing music from the ‘50s and ‘60s back to life. Stuckey brings a diverse background, which includes singing with various theatre productions at the Mishler Theatre and with Altoona Community Theatre, as well as with the Horseshoe Chorus and Barbershop Quartet. Ivory, likewise, has performed with the Horseshoe Chorus and Barbershop Quartet, as well as with his church choir.

            The evening also will include a tour of the Museum’s current exhibition, The Education Collection: Unplugged. On view through June 15, the exhibition features nearly 50 works culled from SAMA’s Arts-in-Education Permanent Collection. Represented by works from local artists such as Michael Allison, Ed Burda, Helen Gorsuch, Kevin Kutz, Judith Counsel Vipond and Kevin Suckling, as well as national artists including Roy Lichtenstein, Colleen Browning and Maggie Milono, artwork from the Education Collection is used by SAMA educators to present Arts-in-Education programs. Through the program, educators take the works into public and private schools throughout the region to facilitate Arts-in-Education lessons emphasizing creation, technique, history, criticism and aesthetics. Held in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), SAMA’s award-winning education programs serve more than 25,000 students in 100 schools spanning 31 school districts.

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is located in the Brett Building at 1210 Eleventh Avenue. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. Parking is available in the lot at the rear of the building or in the garage across the street. For more information, call the Museum at (814) 946-4464 or visit www.sama-art.org.