Sears Art Museum to host free lecture with local author Carmen Stenholm
Sears Art Museum to host free lecture with local author Carmen Stenholm
Showcasing the talent of a local author, Dixie State University Sears Art Museum will host a free lecture and book signing by Carmen Stenholm.
Stenholm, who made her debut as an author with “Crack Between the Worlds” and won the silver medal for historical fiction from the Military Writers Society of America for it, released “A Woman Standing” in the fall of 2017. During her lecture, Stenholm will share her story of the past three generations of courageous women in her family who made their way from East Germany to the U.S.
The event is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. on June 22 in the DSU Sears Art Museum, located in the Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Dixie State campus.
“‘A Woman Standing’ is wonderful, but most of all, it is inspiring,” Kathy Cieslewicz, DSU Sears Art Museum director and curator, said.
Stenholm's life began in Europe, behind the iron curtain just four years after the end of World War II. When she was 9 years old, everything changed when her mother risked her life to escape and bring Stenholm to America.
"The losses of country, family and self-identity were balanced by kindness from people in every one of the many places my life has taken me," Stenholm said.
Her training in psychology, counseling, teaching, art and history has made Stenholm a passionate believer in the human drive to discover inner magnificence and to use abilities to grow and evolve into the highest visions people hold of themselves. It has also given her a deep appreciation and affection for the people who came before us, who survived the almost impossible to ensure that life continues.
"It is now my good fortune to live in one of our world's most beautiful places — Utah,” Stenholm said. “When I look across the desert valleys and at mountains shimmering in the distance, I feel as though my soul has always known this place. When I look into the faces of my neighbors and friends I know that anything is possible just as it always was in this wondrous place of old stories and new beginnings."
In addition to the lecture, the Sears Art Museum currently is hosting the exhibit “Julie Rogers: Essence of Hope.” Featuring the paintings of the nationally known artist and ceramic pieces by her son, Matt Rogers, who discovered his talents at Dixie State, the exhibit is open June 16 through Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.searsart.com.
