The public is invited to the Sun Foundation for concluding ceremonies of our Art & Science in the Woods 2011 program on Friday, June 17. Camp will be held June 13 – June 17 with 460 + students in attendance. Classes will be taught by professional artists and scientists from around the country in “classrooms” including prairies, wetlands, and woods at the Sun Foundation near Lacon, Illinois. There will be a silent auction from 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on the 17th. Items for sale include works by artists, scientists, and students. Also available are raffle tickets for a Preston Jackson original to be awarded at our Winter Warming Celebration in January 2012. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and join us for a picnic supper at 5:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. we will begin our sharing celebration including exhibits and performances by our students and teachers.

Of special interest is a performance by storyteller Oba William King, his students and author Roland Jackson. The performance will feature the tale told in Jamari’s Drum, by Eboni Bynum and Roland Jackson with illustrations by Baba Wague Diakite. Little Jamari loves the sound of the great village drum and often sits at drummer Baba’s feet. “Why do you play every day?” he asks. “The drum is the keeper of peace in the village,” Baba replies. Time passes and many of the village elders pass on. One day Jamari agrees to take over the beating of the drum, to keep the peace. But little by little, he forgets his promise until disaster looms. Jamari’s Drum offers a simple, compelling lesson about duty and the greater good.

King is a teacher for Art and Science in the Woods and a Roster Artist for Illinois Arts Council ARTSTOUR program since 1996. His specialty is interactive presentations using poetry, storytelling and cultural songs. Since his debut with the National Association of Black Storytellers at the San Diego conference in 2006, King has been igniting audiences by masterfully combining his professional theatrical training with a distinct poetic style. King is an entertaining educator sharing the traditional art form of storytelling.

Roland Jackson, co-author of Jamari’s Drum, is a master drummer with 30 years of professional experience. He is co-founder of Friends of de Drums, a non-profit organization that helps children at risk and those with special needs. As a drum teacher for Young Audiences of America, a program focused on preserving African American cultural and ethnic identity, he is an advocate for all youth.