"I Am Somali" An evening with Aziz Osman and Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers

We are eager to share our winter St. Cloud Friends dinner and lecture. Please join us on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 in welcoming Jan-Lodewijk Grootaers, Curator of African Art, along with Aziz Osman, Somali artist, as they share the exhibit “I am Somali” with our community at APH.

Jan-Lodewijk came to Mia in 2008 as its first curator of African art. He shared the innovative reinstallation of Mia’s African galleries with us in 2013. He has since broadened the collection through numerous acquisitions, including pieces from Somalia and Ethiopia. A native of Belgium, Jan-Lodewijk studied cultural anthropology at the University of Chicago for his PhD, specializing in central Africa. Osman was born in Somalia and grew up there. Osman, now in his 60s, received formal training in Florence, Italy, and had been living in Europe for 15 years or so before he returned to Somalia in 1989, shortly before the civil war broke out. He fled to the United States in 1991 as part of the first wave of refugees.His paintings look to the past, depicting life in Somalia before the war and in transit, on the way to his new country.

Event will be held at APH- Automotive Parts HQ, Inc.- training room- rear, north parking lot in Saint Cloud

Our dinner menu includes:
Spring Mix Greens Salad w/ golden raisins, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, candied pecans and dressed with a Blood Orange Shallot Vinaigrette
Grilled Harissa Spiced Boneless Chicken Breast w/ Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Flame Scorched Chipotle Lime Red Quinoa Pilaf
Lemon-Cumin Seasoned Hand Peeled Green Top Carrots
Fresh Baked Assorted Bistro Rolls w/ Rosemary Garlic Butter
Infused Water, Coffee and Tea