Black Range and Plein Air Artists are hosting a juried fine art show to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and homeless veterans to be held at the Mimbres Valley Event Center, 2300 E. Pine St. in Deming on October 11 & 12, 2014.
The membership of the Black Range Artists covers all of southern New Mexico and west Texas. As a non-profit art organization our mission statement is to give back to the community. In doing this, we elected to do a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project and homeless veterans. The Wounded Warrior Project is a national organization that is focused on honoring and empowering wounded veterans. Since our members and their communities cover a large span, this event will unite us in a cause that touches all of us.
Show organizers, Diana LeMarbe, Lyn Orona and Louise Sackett say that Deming is a hub of a growing regional art community and could become the meeting place for future wide-scale art festivals. Each participating artist attending the Black Range and Plein Air Show has agreed to donate 30% of their sales to the Wounded Warrior Project. Our juried show will have a wide range of art to include painting, jewelry, sculpture, fiber, metal and glass. There are several well known award winning artists that will be in town to display their work. We will also feature many regional gifted artists as well as demonstrations. Some are coming in from long distances such as Albuquerque, Texas and Tucson.
An important addition to the Show will be the Plein Air landscape painters. They will be invading Deming and Silver City several days before the show. Some of the area's most talented outdoor painters will bring their paint boxes and easels to Deming and Silver City, well known for its southwest vistas such as City of Rocks, the Floridas mountains, Pinos Altos and the pastoral views typical of the Gila and southwest New Mexico.
This remarkable event is happening with the support of BRAI (Black Range Artists), PAPNM (Plein Air Painters of New Mexico), International Plein Air Painters, Outdoor Painters Society from Dallas, Texas and Tucson Plein Air Painters Society. Artists are expected from Socorro, Sante Fe, Albuquerque, Silver City, Deming, El Paso and Tucson and beyond to converge on October 9th until the 11th, to paint outdoors throughout the surrounding areas. The artists will join the 2 day Black Range exhibit at the Mimbres Valley Event Center on Saturday with their week's work.
BRAI declares that there is a joy about painting outdoors and this is a chance for people to see professional artists at work. It is hoped that this event will highlight the talent found in the Southwestern part of the state, bringing some of our most talented artists together in support of a most worthy cause.
The judging will begin on Saturday, October 11, with Plein Air judge, Russ Recchion, from Tucson and the Black Range judge, Nancy Begin, from Las Cruces. Artists' Award Ceremony will be at 2:30pm, Saturday with $2,400 in cash awards to be given out. The Sponsor that underwrites a particular award will be able to hand the monetary gift and ribbon to the artist.
There will be extensive advertising throughout New Mexico, Arizona and west Texas and listings in several art magazines. We are still at this time looking for artists, volunteers and sponsors. For more information got to the Black Range website at www.blackrangeart.com or contact: blackrangeart@gmail.com zhibit.org/brai or call Lyn 575-546-4650