Life09

The IAO Gallery in Oklahoma City is hosting Life09, a one-night art show to help raise funds for the Maisha Arts and Cultural Camp in Kenya. There will be a silent auction for works produced by local artists, as well as Kenyan musicians. The goal is to raise money through social activism rather than asking people for money.

Attendees can not only help provide backpacks and art kits for campers through donations, but can also get involved in the art show personally through a community art piece.

The Maisha Orphanage was founded in 2006 by Beatrice Williamson, a native Kenyan. Her mother taught kids in Kenya and had an 8-year-old girl in her class. The girl stopped showing up for class when her parents both died of HIV, so she was taking care of her siblings and living with their uncle, who was also HIV-positive. Williamson's mother offered her home as a place where the kids could receive food and have a safe place to do their homework. As time went on, the kids brought more and more children with them, until she had 80-some-odd children outside her home every day.

Multidisciplinary studies senior Kendall Brown got involved with the Maisha Orphanage project randomly — through Facebook. "It's a total mark of our generation — I went across the sea because of Facebook," she said of her trip to Africa. When the village was affected by heavy violence, Brown talked to Williamson about creating a camp for the children, and ultimately founded the Maisha Arts and Cultural Camp. "I thought I wanted to be a photographer. Turns out, I want to be an art therapist," Brown said. She said she has always been passionate about the arts, especially in education and "how it helps kids deal with pain and tragedy that they otherwise wouldn't be able to handle."

Life09 will take place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2 at the IAO Gallery. The gallery is located at 811 N. Broadway in Oklahoma City. Pre-register at www.NightofArtandMusic.com; as space will be limited, there will be a guest list at the door. The event is free, but the suggested donation is $10 at the door.