GAZELLE MAGAZINE JULY 2017 ISSUE | Page 75

COMMUNITY & CULTURE The Trish Set An award-winning journalist recognized for her media leadership and for promoting diversity, Trish Muyco-Tobin has more than 20 years of experience in print and broadcasting. She is also a dedicated community volunteer. Actor Val Kilmer will appear at The Sheldon this month to present a screening of his one-man play about Mark Twain. Titled “Citizen Twain,” the play is based on the life of Missourian Samuel Clemens and his writings as Mark Twain. Kilmer, who directs and stars in the film, will introduce the 90-minute show, and conduct a question and answer session following the Sunday, Aug. 20, screening. For tickets, visit thesheldon.org. Val Kilmer as Mark Twain Construction is expected to begin this fall on the highly anticipated St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. The $45-million, 65,000-square- foot attraction, to be housed in the former mall area of Union Station, will feature one-of-a-kind exhibits and tanks for thousands of aquatic species from the rivers and oceans of the world. Officials expect to attract 1 million visitors a year to the aquarium, which will employ the highest standards in animal care and exhibition as an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. With completion expected in summer 2019, the aquarium will be part of a $100 million family entertainment complex that will also include the St. Louis Wheel, a 200-foot-high observation wheel with 30 fully enclosed gondolas that will take passengers high over the city’s skyline. An artist rendering of the St. Louis Aquarium The St. Louis Artists’ Guild is kicking off an exhibit by award-winning local artist Billyo O’Donnell that will showcase the many textures of the Show-Me State. “Painting Missouri: The Counties en Plein Air (July 28 through Sept. 2)” is an entire collection of 115 original oil paintings created on location that took the artist more than 150,000 miles across the state over several years. The acclaimed plein air artist encountered every weather element imaginable - from sub-zero temperatures to humid, 100-degree heat - in his quest to capture Missouri’s 114 counties and the city of St. Louis. The tumultuous relationship between legendary Mexican artists, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is the focus of a new exhibit at the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. “Diego and Frida, A Smile in the Middle of the Way” is a collection of selected photographs that chronicle the couple’s love affair, as well as private and public moments from their larger-than-life personas. The exhibit runs through Aug. 4. This year’s NCJW-St. Louis’ Section Award winners are Marilen Pitler and Dianna Fine (Community Service), Nancy Litz (Advocacy), Bonnie Solomon (Leadership), Phyllis Langsdorf (Volunteer Service Award), and Amy Stone (Emerging Leader Award). The awards recognize members who have shown outstanding commitment to the National Council of Jewish Women, whose programs and projects help improve the lives of women, children and families. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera SAVVY I SOPHI