Febuary 12, 2013

For Immediate Release

University Marketing & Communications: Mike Rigert (801) 863-6807

Written by: Karissa Neely (801) 863-6807

The Department of Art & Visual Communications at Utah Valley University will host a Spring Lecture Series featuring the art of Louie Gong. A celebrated Native American artist, Gong will speak on “Design Yourself: The Work of Louie Gong,” Feb. 14 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Science Building auditorium, room 134. The cost to attend the presentation is $5.

Gong is an educator, activist, and artist raised by his grandparents in the Nooksack tribal community. He is known for his highly sought-after, hand-drawn custom shoes, and has done presentations and custom shoe workshops around the world, as well as in media, such as NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, MSNBC.com and Indian Country Today. In 2012, Gong began an artistic partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian called “Design Yourself: I AM NMAI.” He also collaborated with authentic aboriginal footwear maker Manitobah Mukluks on a limited-edition boot.

Gong headlines the three-day event at UVU centered on the theme, “Design Yourself.” UVU will hold free workshops Feb. 12-13. On Tuesday, members of the community are invited to explore, “Design Yourself: Art and Identity,” at 7 p.m. in the Science Building auditorium, room 134. Wednesday’s presentation, from 1-3 p.m. in the Computer Sciences Building, room 404, is a teacher-training event discussing ways to best serve multi-racial students.

Tickets for Gong’s presentation are available by calling 801-863-PLAY (7529), at uvu.edu/arts, or at the Noorda Theatre box office. The event is also sponsored by the Alpine School District’s Title VII and the UVU Multicultural Office.

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About UVU

Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, and is home to more than 30,000 students. UVU began as a vocational school during World War II, and in the seven decades since has evolved into a technical school, community school, state college and, finally, a comprehensive regional teaching university. UVU is one of Utah’s largest institutions of higher learning and offers programs ranging from career training to high-demand master degrees, with emphasis on undergraduate education.