Ryan Scaife works on one of his sports paintings

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Ryan Scaife, a junior at Lock Haven University, will be a special guest and participant in Aaron Maybin’s Celebration of the Arts weekend February 19-20 in Baltimore, Maryland. The two-day event will benefit arts programs for school-age youth in Maryland and New York.

Maybin, a former defensive end at Penn State University, was the Buffalo Bills’ 2009 first-round draft pick. Joining Maybin on the host committee for the Celebration of the Arts weekend are celebrity guests Michael Phelps (Olympics), Laz Alonso (Avatar/Stomp the Yard), Amber Rose (Supermodel), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) and Big Tigger (National VJ/Radio Personality). Featured artists for the Celebration of the Arts weekend include Larry “Poncho” Brown, Randy Walters and Charles Bibbs.
As part of the weekend celebration, Scaife will join Maybin and area art teachers in a free Artists’’ Workshop for children 7 – 17 years of age. The workshop will provide activities for students who like to draw, paint and create. It is scheduled for 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. on February 20 at the Camelo Anthony Youth Development Center. In addition, several of Scaife’s sports-related paintings will be featured in the Celebration’s art exhibit. Scaife will be Maybin’s guest at the red carpet ceremony and formal dinner.

Scaife said, “It is a huge honor to be part of this program. Aaron and I go back to when he was at Penn State and we share a passion for the arts. I am privileged to have this opportunity.”

Maybin is a strong supporter of the arts. He chose to lend his support to arts programs for children in response to years of decreased funding. “Art was a great outlet for me during my academic career and I want to ensure that it is available to all kids,” he says. According to the Celebration of the Arts website, the weekend of events will involve hundreds of invited guests and celebrities from sports and Hollywood to support Maybin’s goal of promoting creativity and self esteem in a fun filled line up for all ages. Further information about the Celebration of the Arts weekend is available at http://aaronmaybin.eventbrite.com/

The friendship between Scaife and Maybin started when Maybin was in his first year at Penn State. Maybin was impressed by Scaife’s sports paintings and contacted him through the internet. Their shared interest in art led to regular Sunday meetings so that Scaife could teach Maybin.

After the 2008 season, Maybin chose to forgo his final two years of eligibility with the Nittany Lions to enter the NFL Draft. He plays defensive end with the Buffalo Bills and continues to keep in touch with Scaife. Additional information about Maybin is available at http://www.aaronmaybin.com/

Scaife’s career as a sports artist began in 2005 when he did an acrylic portrait of Penn State’s Michael Robinson, Alan Zemaitis and Paul Posluszny. When the painting was shown to the three players, interest in Scaife’s work took off. Zemaitis soon commissioned another painting, and since then Scaife’s work has been much in demand. Scaife is majoring in business administration with a concentration in management, and it is evident that his degree will be put to use in managing the course of his growing art career. Scaife’s MySpace URL is http://www.myspace.com/ryanscaifesportsart