UMSL to hold art auction benefit in Ferguson, Mo.

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of Missouri-St. Louis will hold an art auction at 7 p.m. March 14 at the Northern Arts Council Gallery, 27 S. Florissant Ave. in Ferguson, Mo.

Proceeds will go to establish a UMSL scholarship for students majoring in studio art with a concentration in photography. The scholarship will be established in the name of Nicole Allen, who was killed last April in an automobile accident. Allen was the back-seat passenger of a car that was rear-ended by a drunk driver. She was 21 years old and a junior studio art student studying photography at UMSL.

Dan Younger, professor of art at UMSL, had Allen in two of his photography classes.

"It was sad that we lost such a wonderful person and talented student," he said. "She had such great potential for a notable and extensive career in art. We will never know for sure how she would have developed as an artist, but this scholarship will give others the opportunity to fully hone their skills."

All artwork sold at the auction will be donated by UMSL art and art history faculty, as well as Allen's classmates at the university.

E-mail younger@umsl.edu for more information.

-END-