Kindness Student Art Show Comes to Plaza Library

Original artwork by more than 90 high school students from across the metro area will be on display SevenDays Kindness Art Show, opening Tuesday, Feb. 18 through the end of February during regular library hours.

Hosted by the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library, the student art was selected from submissions to the SevenDays button design competition for 2020. The exhibit will be on display in the teen area of the Plaza Branch, located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri, through Feb. 28 during regular library hours. A special recognition program and reception will take place on Tuesday evening, Feb. 18, from 6:30-8 p.m. The public and media are invited to attend the program and enjoy the art, refreshments and an activity about spreading kindness.

The student artwork reflects the daily themes of the annual week focusing on kindness - Love, Discover, Others, Connect, You, Onward and Go. The exhibit includes the winning designs for this year's SevenDays 2020 buttons as well as the work of students whose art was not selected.

SevenDays 2020 (April 21-27) is the signature experience of the Faith Always Wins Foundation (FAW). The mission of SevenDays provide opportunities encouraging all people to increase kindness through knowledge, mindset and behaviors. It was created following the 2014 hate crime murders of 14-year-old Reat Underwood, his grandfather Dr. William Corporon and Terri LaManno outside of Jewish facilities.

"The Faith Always Wins Foundation and SevenDays is pleased to share our continued interest in the arts for the fourth year of our button art competition," said Mindy Corporon, foundation founder. "We are reaching students in multiple school districts in the metropolitan area and we expect to keep expanding. Fostering students' talents and interests in their high school years, offering them interviewing skills, showcasing their art and engaging them with caring adults is all done with purpose," she said. "An engaged, cared for human is less likely to hate another human. "

Students' whose artwork will be on display include button winners: Kenna Heller, Shawnee Mission Northwest, freshman, Day One-LOVE; Anna Steiger, Liberty North, sophomore, Day Two-DISCOVER; Emma Dyser, Liberty North, sophomore, Day Three-OTHERS; Yesica Cerros-Reyes, Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences, senior, Day Four-CONNECT; Cierra Ladesich, Shawnee Mission Northwest, senior, Day Five-YOU; Braden Clapper, Liberty North, senior, Day Seven-GO; and Abby Farmer, St. Teresa's Academy, senior, General SevenDays Button-Make a Ripple.

"The Plaza Library is so happy to host this exhibit in our beautiful space," said April Roy, director of the branch. "Libraries are dedicated to celebrating cultures and bringing communities together and there is no better way to do that then through art and kindness."

Following the library exhibit, the SevenDays art will travel throughout the community. If you are interested in hosting these student's art at your company, organization or religious institution, please contact, Ruth Baum B

The SevenDays 2020 buttons are available for each day and may be ordered, free of charge from the SevenDays website, www.GiveSevenDays.org. Stickers featuring the buttons designers are also available as well as suggested kindness activities and educational events for the community. For more information about all SevenDays 2020 activities, sponsored events and the Kindness Walk on Sunday, April 26, please visit the web site.

For media inquiries, please contact Ruth Baum Bigus, (913) 707-7746 or email her at ruth@faithalwayswins.org.

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