Chicago Jazz Gurus to Jam in Erie February 4
Members of the Chicago-based Ethnic Heritage Ensemble return to the Erie Art Museum for the jazz trio’s annual Black History Month appearance, Tuesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. Comprised of internationally 
renowned percussionist Kahil El’ Zabar, Ernest Kahbeer Dawkins (sax) and Corey Wiles (trumpet), the trio combines the ancient rhythms of the past with new frontiers of improvisation. Admission is free, with a suggested $15 donation to the Museum.
El’Zabar is also the subject of a new documentary that explores the jazz musician’s life and career. The film portrays the star’s personal life and his path from celebrity in Paris to relative obscurity in Chicago and everywhere in between.
The public is invited to take part in a special artist reception from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. for Chicago-based artist Lucy Slivinsky, who will be unveiling her new installation at the Museum that evening.
A world-renowned sculptor and installation artist based in Chicago, Slivinski holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from Northern Illinois University. She has exhibited public art installations across the US and internationally, and her work resides in many private and public collections including in New York and Chicago. Slivinski’s collection of creative lighting is both sculptural and functional, part of her inspirational body of works that have been created from recycled materials and found objects. The artist’s methods support a green initiative, one that Slivinski has followed for over two decades.
The reception for Lucy Slivinski is free and open to the public from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Museum’s Old Custom House. The jazz performance is by $15 suggested donation; doors at 6 p.m. and concert at 7 p.m.
About the Erie Art Museum
The Erie Art Museum anchors downtown Erie’s cultural and economic revitalization, occupying a group of restored mid-19th century commercial buildings and a modern, ‘Green,’ 10,500 square foot expansion. The newly expanded Museum marks the first LEED-certified building in the region, soon to be complete with a planted rooftop. The Museum maintains an ambitious program of changing exhibitions annually, embracing a wide range of subjects, both historical and contemporary and including folk art, contemporary craft, multi-disciplinary installations, community-based work, as well as traditional media.
The Erie Art Museum also holds a collection of over 6,000 objects, which includes significant works in American ceramics, Tibetan painting, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and a variety of other categories.
The Museum offers a wide range of education programs and artists’ services including interdisciplinary and interactive school tours and a wide variety of classes for the community. Performing arts are showcased in the 25-year-old Contemporary Music Series, which represents national and international performers of serious music with an emphasis on composer/performers, and a popular annual two-day Blues & Jazz Festival.
The Erie Art Museum, café, and gift shop is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. For additional visitor information, visit online at erieartmuseum.org or call 814-459-5477.
