A Saturday afternoon tribute at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge will honor former executive director Selma Shapiro, pictured above at center.
A Saturday afternoon program that features student musicians and artists will honor Selma Shapiro, former executive director of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
Shapiro, who led the museum for almost 32 years, retired in 2004, when she was 80, but she continued to serve as a volunteer until she died in May 2011.
The program will include a range of musical styles from classical to Broadway, and several student artists will present artwork that is now on exhibit in the museum’s Imagination Gallery, a press release said.
The museum’s staff and volunteers will join Shapiro’s family in dedicating the West Wing and Imagination Gallery in memory of Shapiro at 2 p.m., the release said. Sandy Guryan, Shapiro’s daughter, will present a memorial message.
“The growth of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, from its modest beginnings to the nationally renowned museum and cultural center it is today, serves as a tribute to Shapiro,” the release said. “Beyond directing the museum, she was grandmother to neighborhood youth, nurturer of artists and musicians, a historic preservationist, a teacher, a skilled grant writer, and a visionary who wove the museum into the fabric of the community.”
The musical program runs from 2:10-3 p.m. Saturday, and it will feature performances by elementary school students at Linden and Glenwood schools, Oak Ridge Suzuki Strings, a piano performance by Oak Ridge High School freshman Katherine Zhang, and Allen McBride, who will play hammer dulcimer.
A reception will follow the musical performances.
From 3-4 p.m., Jefferson Middle School students Chen Zhang, Lauren Collier, Jake Goodlaxson, and Hannah Livesey will join Jim Dodson, JMS art teacher, in Imagination Gallery to present student art works in “Through the Visions of Children†art exhibit, featuring art works of students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
There is no charge for admission during the dedication ceremony, but donations are appreciated. For more information, call the Children’s Museum at (865) 482-1074 or see the museum’s website.
The museum is located at 461 West Outer Drive.
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