Two legendary Columbus artists will take their place on the Lincoln Theatre Walk of Fame in an induction ceremony tonight, July 26, at 7 pm. Sponsored by the State Auto Insurance Companies, the event is free and open to the public.
Visual artist Aminah Robinson and photographer Kojo Kamau will be added to the Lincoln Theatre Walk of Fame, a monument which honors Columbus natives who have made outstanding contributions in their professional careers. Robinson and Kamau will be honored during a ceremony that will feature the Urban Strings ensemble, Columbus Museum of Art Executive Director Nannette Maciejunes, former King Arts Complex curator Bettye Stull, and researchers of the JAG "Beyond the Blackberry" project before moving outdoors beneath the marquee to reveal their stars on the Walk of Fame.
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Born in Columbus in 1940, Robinson creates sculpture, RagGonNons, rag paintings, paintings on cloth, drawings, and books. Many of her works are about family, community, and the stories she was told by her elders. She also researches and depicts the lives of abolitionists, civil rights leaders, musicians, and writers.
Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the US, and she has received numerous awards and grants, including a 2004 MacArthur Fellowship. In 2002, the Columbus Museum of Art organized a retrospective exhibition of Robinson's work that traveled throughout the country. Her work is in many private collections and in many museums including the Columbus Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Newark Museum.
Kojo Kamau
A Columbus native, Kojo Kamau has exhibited his photographs throughout the Midwest, and has been honored with numerous awards including the Ohioanna Library Career Award and the Columbus Winterfair Award of Excellence.
His international exhibitions include Gallery 44 Center for Contemporary Photography, Toronto, Canada; Culturefest '93, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa; and the Central Bank of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas.
Kamau studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design, The Ohio State University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a retired chief medical photographer at The Ohio State University, and is currently a photography instructor at Columbus State Community College.
First opened in 1928, the Lincoln Theatre is a landmark in African-American and jazz history. After undergoing a $13.5 million renovation funded by a partnership of public and private support, the Lincoln reopened in May 2009 as a multi-use, state-of-the-art performing arts and education center serving the diversity of the Columbus and central Ohio community and its resident Columbus arts organizations. The restoration is the foundation of revitalization plans for the King-Lincoln District, providing a bustling hub of activity 365 days a year with performances, rehearsals, and classes in the performing arts, as well as a wide variety of community events such as film festivals, meetings, and receptions.
Owner/operator of downtown Columbus' magnificent historic theatres (Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre) and manager of the Riffe Center Theatre Complex, Lincoln Theatre, and the Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT), CAPA is a non-profit, award-winning presenter of national and international performing arts and entertainment. For more information, visit www.capa.com.
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