Actors from Prince of Peace Parish will host a pageant performance of the symbolic story, “The Miraculous Apparitions of the Virgin Mary,” at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, in the Shafer Art Gallery at Barton Community College. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Pageant is being done in conjunction with the “Estamos Aqui” exhibit at Shafer Gallery.
Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of Mexico and the Americas. For 483 years her image has been a symbol of unity, peace and compassion for people around the world.
Shafer Gallery Associate Scott Beahm said the program will be presented in Spanish, but the narrative will also be translated into English and projected on a screen. Beahm noted that the pageant continues the theme of the “Estamos Aqui” exhibit, which encourages audiences to ask questions about the nature of cross-cultural exchange through the arts.
“Estamos Aqui” is Spanish and means “We are Here.” The exhibit features frame prints from varied Hispanic traditions, accompanied by bilingual gallery text and labels. It is a traveling exhibit toured by ExhibitsUSA through the Mid-America Arts Alliance. This exhibit also features “local” art by Hugo Gonzalez of Great Bend and Humberto Saenz of Wichita.
The Shafer Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  Admission is free.  The exhibit will be up through August 10.
For more information call Beahm at the gallery, 620-792-9242.