Vikings land at Cincinnati Museum Center

If you’re looking for something special to do over the holiday season, consider the current exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

You’ll come away having learned a lot about the Vikings, their lives and culture. You’ll no longer picture them as the bearded, horned-helmet barbarians you may have seen in operas, comic strips, cartoons and as sports mascots. The exhibition, “Vikings: Beyond the Legend,” includes more than 500 artifacts from the Swedish History Museum. Included is the largest Viking ship ever discovered.

We were amazed at these people’s sophisticated knowledge of metalworking, shipbuilding, navigation and trade. Some of the most incredible artifacts are the four Viking ships on display. One of them is a “Ghost Ship” made up of the original iron rivets suspended where they would have been before the oak hull deteriorated over 1,000 years.

“What’s been most compelling for people as they visit the exhibition are the tangible objects that still exist from the Viking Age — their weapons, jewelry, tools, coins and part of their ships,” says the museum’s media relations manager, Cody Hefner. “They’ve mentioned the connection it gives them to Vikings, even a sense of how big or small they were and the sizes of their hands.”

The show is open through April 2017. For ticket information visit www.cincymuseum.org/exhibits/vikings.

African Children’s Choir to perform in Huber Heights

The public is invited to enjoy African songs and dances at St. Peter Catholic Church in Huber Heights at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8. The African Children’s Choir, which has visited the church previously, returns to town for the free concert.

Included will be children’s songs, traditional spirituals and gospel music. A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support education, care and relief and development programs.

“We’re excited to be hosting the choir for the third time because it casts light on our global connection as church and as family,” says the church’s music director, Andrew Larochelle.

“Music for Life,” the choir’s parent organization, works in seven African countries: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. MFL has educated more than 52,000 children and impacted the lives of over 100,000 people through its relief and development programs. The goal is to help create new leadership for tomorrow’s Africa, by focusing on education.

The choir has performed before heads of state, most recently Queen Elizabeth II, for her diamond jubilee. The choir has also sung with Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Michael W. Smith.

The church is located at 6161 Chambersburg Road. For more information, call (937) 233-1503 or see www.africanchildrenschoir.com

The choir will also perform at Lebanon Presbyterian Church, 123 N. East St., at 8:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

Alice on stage in Miamisburg

Children’s Performing Arts of Miamisburg (CPAM) will present Tim Kelly’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” on Jan. 13-15 at St. Jacob Lutheran church in Miamisburg. The church is at 213 E. Central Ave.

Based on the Lewis Carroll classic, this adaptation is produced and directed by CPAM’s students. The event also includes a silent auction to help support and fund the children’s theater. The student creative team is under the direction of artistic director Donna Roth.

Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices are $9 for students and seniors and $11 for general admission and can be purchased at the door.

Photographers and printers wanted

The Dayton Visual Arts Center is once again commissioning artists who will each receive $1,500 to create an edition of 50 works. Those will be offered to “shareholders” to purchase as part of the organization’s second annual Community Supported Art project.

The four photographers and printers are being selected through representative images from their application. A DVAC committee will work with them to approve final artwork for each edition. Artists must commit to creating their prints between notification and late summer. The deadline for this Community Supported Art project has just been extended until Jan. 13.

CSA-Community Supported Art is a self-sustaining economic model based on the concept of Community Supported Agriculture. The program’s products are created by artists and income is sustained by the CSA members and possible partner organizations. For more information, check out DVAC’s website.

To brighten your holidays: See “La La Land”

Judging from all the great reviews and from its “Rotten Tomatoes” score of 94 percent, you probably can’t go wrong if you buy a ticket to “La La Land.” The musical opened at The Neon movie theater in downtown Dayton this weekend.

The film stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. She’s an aspiring actress; he’s a jazz musician. Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle, it’s set in Los Angeles.

The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensis had this to say: “La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart.”


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Each week arts writer Meredith Moss shares news about the people and events making arts news in our region. If you have information you’d like to contribute, contact Meredith: MMoss@coxohio.com

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