Postponing last year’s Children’s Art & Literacy Festival was one of the hardest decisions the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council has had to make, said Lynn Barnett, the council’s executive director. She said it was the right thing to do given that most major events across the state and U.S. were canceled due to safety concerns with the pandemic. “We missed seeing all the … [Read more...]
NCCIL Provides Art Activity Bags for Virtual School Tours
The National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature launched the new “Virtual School Tour” to coincide with the fall exhibition opening of “What Might You Do? The Art of Christian Robinson.” Like so many other cultural institutions around the world, the NCCIL knew that few, if any, traditional school field trips are likely this school year because of the ongoing … [Read more...]
Creating a Community: The State Epileptic Colony in Abilene
For most of our human history, the perceptions of epilepsy and the people who suffered from it have been rooted in superstitious ideas. For centuries, epileptics were seen as carriers of a dangerously contagious disease, accused of demon possession, or simply viewed as insane. These beliefs may sound far-fetched to us now, but the study and observation of epileptic individuals … [Read more...]
The Arts Amid a Pandemic: Confronting COVID with Creativity
Going to the dogs isn’t always a bad thing—as the Children’s Performing Arts Series will show when it “goes to the dogs” with a performance of Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience at the Taylor County Expo Center on March 27. In response to the pandemic and crowd limitations, CPAS has become more creative this season. The organization put together a show lineup that … [Read more...]
Interview with Angelo Xiang Yu
Violinist Angelo Xiang Yu will be performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the Abilene Philharmonic on Saturday, April 17 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Angelo recently shared how he got started on the violin, his award-laden 2019, and more. Q: What drew you to the violin over other instruments? A: Every instrument has its own characteristics, but the violin is the closest … [Read more...]