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• Aural stimulation at Spurlock

All are invited to the Spurlock Museum May 3 to immerse themselves in culture during WorldFest. The event teaches people about traditions around the world through activities and performances stemming from anything from French Creole to West African societies.

International storyteller and cultural enrichment instructor Dawn Blackman will perform at the event. She will share three stories from traditional African folklore.

Blackman is an experienced storyteller, performing and hosting programs from the Chicago Field Museum to schools in the CU area.

“I’ve always told stories,” she said. “I was the 9-year-old kid that always had kindergartners sitting around listening to fairy tales.”

As a child, Blackman loved listening to her 90-year-old great-aunt tell family stories. She never stopped learning. While her husband was in the military, she collected stories from Europe and the Middle East.

“We’re so addicted to television in the U.S., but a lot of people in other cultures sit around at night and tell stories,” she said. “Being a part of those societies, you learn stories about each culture.”

As someone who enjoys watching television in black and white, Blackman finds that children today are bombarded with too much electronic stimulation and are not encouraged enough to be creative.

“Storytelling stimulates the imagination more than watching T.V. or even listening to radio,” she said. “It is more fun!”

Her multicultural crafts are also very engaging. She teaches the art of Appalachian straw loom-weaving as well as Japanese Kumihimo braiding, with which samurais used to hold their swords during travel.

With schools becoming increasingly diverse and kids being exposed to more cultures, Blackman’s programs are designed to encourage positive interactions among children.

“By helping the children and teaching them about the different cultures, it is my desire that they learn about how many different things we have in common and that we have more things in common than we do different,” she said.

Blackman is not the only performer in the multicultural mix. The event also features unique music from Dennis Stroughmatt and L’Esprit Creole. The group is the only band to encompass French Creole with folk music from all of the old Louisiana Territory.

Puppeteer Ginger Lozar will also be performing an interactive show. With her master’s in education and literature from the University, Lozar delights audiences with literature-based, multicultural hand puppet shows.