Celebration event will search for the next Gordon Parks

Area youth who are 8 to 12 years of age will have a unique opportunity at this year's Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity.

A new event, titled "Who Is the Next Gordon Parks?," has been added for the 8th annual celebration. The workshop will include four hands-on sessions in which participants will learn about photography, filmmaking, acting, directing and writing.

"Just like Gordon Parks excelled in all of these areas, we wanted to provide a workshop atmosphere for kids to get real experience in all of these areas," Gordon Parks Museum Director Jill Warford said. "They will get to write, to do some filming, take photographs and direct a scene. And, they will have instructors who are proficient in all of these areas to give them instruction."

Instructors include Allison Daly, Janice Fewins, Steve Kramer, Taylor Bailey, Joe Fischer, Lawrence Alford, Nathan, Kristy Magee, Maria Bahr, Ronda Bailey, Donna Estill and Mert Barrows.

The workshop is scheduled to take place from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. For the cost of $10, each participant will take part in the workshop, receive a T-shirt, a special poster and have lunch with special guests.

Enrollment is limited to 40 participants, and parents are encouraged to complete their child's enrollment by Monday, Oct. 3, to ensure the child will get a T-shirt.

The entire celebration schedule, including the flyer for the workshop, is available on the center's website, www.gordonparkscenter.org. Tickets for celebration events are on sale at the Gordon Parks Museum on the Fort Scott Community College campus, or the Country Cupboard, 12 N. Main St.

For more information, contact the museum at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or visit the website.