Presentation by ‘Mean Girls’ artists set for Oct. 9; photo gallery online

"Small Ghost (have I died)" by Barbara Schreiber

Artists’ Presentation
"Keep an Eye Out for...Mean Girls"
Noon, Wednesday, Oct. 9, Forum Theatre

Faculty Talk:
“Mediation and Victim/Offender Dialog Programs”
2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29, Art Gallery.

A presentation by artists of the “Mean Girls” exhibit at Penn State New Kensington is slated from noon to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the campus’ Forum Theatre.

The artists’ talk, "Keep an Eye Out for...Mean Girls" focuses on their works and the effects of bullying. Jill Larson, curator of the exhibit and a participating artist, facilitates the discussion. Campus students, faculty and staff are asked to wear orange as a show of support for the anti-bullying campaign.

“Mean Girls” is a traveling exhibition that examines the dynamics of bullying by females. The multi-media display of paintings, drawings, and sculptures is a community engagement project in which 10 national artists address the impact of bullying on young women. Open discussions to create dialogue are a part of the exhibit. The multi-media display, which features paintings, drawings, and sculptures by 10 artists, opened Oct. 1 and runs through Oct. 31.

The campus has designated October as “Bullying Awareness Month” and will address issues regarding bullying and conflict resolution and examine the issues from a fresh perspective. Bullying starts at an early age on the playground, moves to high school and on to college, and continues into the work place. Bullying between females takes many forms -- physical violence, verbal abuse, and cyber-bullying. There are cell phone apps that were created for the specific purpose of bullying. Local school districts are encouraged to participate in the campus discussions.

A month long series of activities complements the artists’ presentation. The featured event is a discussion, “Mediation and Victim/Offender Dialog Programs,” at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Art Gallery. The guest speakers are campus faculty members, Jennifer Wood, associate professor of communications arts and sciences, and LaVarr McBride, instructor in administration of justice.

The presentation, talk and exhibit are free to the public. The New Kensington gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and noon to 5 p.m. weekends. For more information, call 724-334-6032.

For more about the exhibit, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/45550.htm.

For photos of the exhibit, visit http://psnk.smugmug.com/.

"DIE" by Randie Snow

The figures are for women and girls to write their experiences with bullying, The pink figure is to share
an experience when you were bullied. The red figure is to confess when you were the bully.