Joslyn to offer free food, music, art to are college students

College students are invited to come enjoy live music, art and food Friday, Sept. 12 at Joslyn Art Museum.Starting at 7 p.m., this free event will feature Joslyn's current special exhibition "Uncreated Light," a series of paintings by British artist Steve Joy. Local band Oxygen will play two sets and free food will be provided by Godfather's Pizza and the Coca-Cola Company.

Contemporary artist Steve Joy tries to expand his paintings through study of the history of art and culture. Joy will speak for half an hour at 7:30 p.m. about his life and works.

Through traveling the world over he furthered his own view of spiritual abstraction and through his work in Japan, Greece, Spain and many other countries he has now arrived in Omaha as the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts' curator in 1998, one of a small group of artists with an international reputation. Using deep, solid colors, gold and silver and wax, his paintings show the works and history of far away cultures and religions.

"Uncreated Light" will be shown exclusively at Joslyn until Oct. 5. It features 52 individual works and is Joy's first full-career survey from 1980 to 2008.

The Waiting Room favorite Oxygen will be performing at both 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday night. Oxygen is know for intense creativity and incredible shows and they have been building their fan base exponentially since 2003.

With cited influences like The Police, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Oxygen knows what people want to hear and they deliver time and again. Their brand of acoustic rock shall be sure to stay alongside while you walk the galleries.

Also to be shown is a screening of "Art:21," a documentary series that displays footage of many different artists at work, from gathering inspiration to the final touches of another masterpiece all the while hearing the artist's thoughts as they project and create their visions into reality.

Hosted by the likes of Steve Martin and John McEnroe, each episode represents a different section of contemporary art methods and practices from different sections of the United States.

Students and faculty get in free with a valid college ID while the general public has to pay regular museum admission of $7.

College Night is sponsored by the Joslyn Art Museum Association and has been held every semester for over 25 years with the goal of introducing students to what the museum has to offer in way of resources and showing a stunning array of exhibitions for all to enjoy.