MICHAEL MARKOWSKY RECEIVES 'POWER OF ART' AWARD FROM THE ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG FOUNDATION

On Friday, May 18th, Calgary artist and teacher Michael Markowsky accepted the 'Power of Art' Award at the Corcoran Gallery, in Washington DC. The award is presented annually to outstanding art teachers who work with students who have learning disabilities.

The event is hosted by internationally acclaimed artist Robert Rauschenberg, one of the most well respected artists working today. His art is found in every important private and museum collection of contemporary art worldwide. Rauschenberg's own dyslexia was not diagnosed until he was an adult. He created the workshop and award program to help increase public awareness and present ways art can be used to teach academic skills for students with learning disabilities.

"My life's goal is to share my passion for Art with the world. As a teacher, I have seen the power of Art cause meaningful and measurable change in people's lives." Markowsky continues, "My purpose is not simply to teach people to draw and paint, it is to inspire and give hope."

For additional information on The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation at the Lab School in Washington DC, which sponsors the "The Power of Art: Teaching Students with Disabilities" program, please contact Michael Markowsky or visit www.labschool.org/powerofart.html

MICHAEL MARKOWSKY is a Canadian-born artist (b. 1977), currently living in Los Angeles, California. Michael graduated from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1999. He also attended Cooper Union in New York City, the Royal College of Art in London, UK and the Art Center in Pasadena, California. Markowsky has been teaching art to children and teens at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California since fall 2003.

Michael is known primarily for his Driving Drawings and Paintings, a series of artworks inspired by his travels on the freeways in and around Los Angeles. Michael will exhibit a new body of paintings in October 2007 at AXIS Contemporary Art in Calgary.

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