MOUNT VERNON – New Directions, the Domestic Abuse Shelter and Rape Crisis Center of Knox County, will have its fifth-annual benefit dinner on Thursday, April 30th, 6pm, at Ariel Arena on the Campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The featured speaker for the event is Maggie Parr, a professional artist and survivor of childhood abuse. A graduate of Mount Vernon High School (class of ’85) who grew up just outside Gambier, she has used her art to help heal from her experiences. She is an advocate for community-based resources to assist families in crisis. At the dinner, she will give a presentation of her paintings and talk about how art and community can work together to heal wounds and create lasting change.
“We are delighted Maggie is returning to show how art and a caring community helped her survive and become the successful, caring woman she is today,” said Joan Stallard, Fundraising Co-Chairwoman and New Directions Board Member. “Her engaging, uplifting story is a gift to New Directions and our community. No one but Maggie can tell it.”
A former Disney Imagineer, Maggie has created artwork and designs – including original paintings and limited edition giclées – for themed environments around the world, from Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney World to Tokyo Disney Seas and the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland. She’s also been a featured artist with the Disney Gallery since 2005 and has developed an international following for her classical portraits of the characters. Her passion for oil painting extends into her personal work, which is expressionist in style, and explores personal narratives. She has exhibited in galleries in Los Angeles and New York since 1992. Her art has been published in several books and exhibition catalogs. She continues to work from her Los Angeles studio, painting, designing and illustrating; and more recently, creating graphic novels. At the dinner, some of her artwork will be offered in a silent auction to benefit New Directions.
The event still has available tickets, with a requested donation of $100 per plate. For more information, call New Directions at (740) 397-4357 or visit their website: newdirectionsshelter.org More information about Maggie Parr is available at her website: maggieparr.com
