San Pedro River Arts Council

Welcome to October and the start of the REALLY busy season!

  We'll begin by noting that our 6th Annual "Celebrate the Arts" Open, Judged Photography Show is up and ready for viewing at Cochise College Benson Center throughout the month of October during regular college hours.
Thanks to a really great crew, we were able to hang all 235 photos yesterday morning in roughly an hour and a half!!  This is a record, both for time of installation and in the number of entries for any given show...  I always worry that no-one will actually enter a photography or fine arts show, and yet --thankfully--they always do!!  So thanks to everyone who is participating, and to everyone who is helping to put the show together--it is definitely a team effort!!!
  The Photography Show Reception is scheduled for next Thursday, October 11th, at the college from 5 till 7 p.m.  This is always a fun event and I encourage everyone to attend!
No charge, and there will be plenty of good food, the awards presentations, a raffle, live music (a "Peruvian" band with Pan Pipes, flute, and fiddle -how cool is that!!?!); plus a chance to purchase a beautiful photograph that might catch your eye, and an opportunity to meet and visit with many of the photographers whose images are in the show.   ("How DID you capture that shot?!")  Y'all come!!

   Because every available space is taken at the college this month--we will NOT have a Featured Artist exhibit there during October.  November will feature the exciting abstract "Earth Ribbon" landscapes of Ellen Cohen; and that will be another beautiful show...

  We WILL have a Lunch and LEARN program in October.  Due to scheduling conflicts, the date will be moved to the 4th Thursday, October 25th  Our presenter will be Camille Painter-Davis, who will be discussing and demonstrating the Art and Possibilities of Painting with Pastels.  Camille works successfully in many media  (she was last year's winner in the Advanced division of the Celebrate the Arts March Fine Arts Show for an oil painting; and just last week was the recipient of the Tatch Award of Excellence for a Pastel Painting at the Art Show in Silver City, NM!!), but pastels are perhaps her favorite. She will be sharing techniques and insights about the various types of pastels and how to create that "painterly" effect.  This will be another interesting and informative program, so mark your calendars and plan to attend!

  Shryl Miles has begun her second year of teaching Art to the Home School Group--they are meeting at the Gallery twice a month and will be working with watercolor media during the Fall sessions.  These kids created some really lovely work last year; and I can't wait to see what they will achieve THIS year.   On a similar note, we have had several inquiries from parents looking for art lessons for their children.  If anyone out there would be interested in working one on one as a mentor to a student artist--please contact me!  (Mentors set their own schedules, and are welcome to use the Gallery learning center on available afternoons...)

So what else is going on that might be of interest?  
This coming weekend--October 6 and 7--you could attend "Art in the Park" at Veteran's Memorial Park in Sierra Vista.  This is an annual event presented by the Huachuca Art Association featuring many arts and crafts vendors working in a wide variety of media with "something for everyone"  AND a Food and Beverage Court.  Hours are Sat. 9 to 5  and Sunday 9 till 4 o'clock.
   OR, if you happen to be heading to Tucson this weekend, you could stop by the Steinfeld Warehouse Art Center at 101 West 6th Street to catch their Installation entitled "We have Something to Say"--"an Art Exhibit voicing social, political and environmental concerns, observations, and visions," featuring a number of artists including our own Hector Acuna.
Gallery hours are noon till 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon till 5 p.m. on Sunday.  This promises to be a very thought-provoking, multi-media event!

   On Saturday, October 13th--Claudia Apperson and Pat Dunbar will be giving a very exciting workshop entitled  "Value and the Other Tools in the Box: the Elements and Principles of Art and Design for the Self-Taught Artist"   at the studio space in the Huachuca Art Association Gallery in Sierra Vista from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m.  These are two high-energy ladies with a LOT of knowledge to share.  This would be a great workshop for artists in any media who have not had a lot of "formal" training and are looking for more information on the "basics."  The day will consist of some lecture with handouts, brief exercises, and actual demonstrations. Cost is $45 for the day.  To sign up--space is limited--call Pat at 520 234 5193 or email  jaydee93@msn.com

  Members of the Art League of Willcox will be hosting a "Pop-Up" Art Show and Sale over the weekend of October 20th--21st as part of the annual Autumn Willcox Wine Festival.
The show will be held in Studio 128 on Railroad Ave. Wine tasting, interesting vendors, and an Art Show--sounds like a great weekend!  The hours are 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. both days.
Oh,  there is also a Craft and Artisan Festival in Elgin this same Saturday, October 20th  (with more wine tasting) in case you feel like going in a different direction...

  Also, Kathy Williams will be offering a second session of "No Fear Painting" classes on three consecutive Fridays--Oct. 19, 26, and Nov. 2nd--at Cochise College Benson Center from 9 a.m. till noon.  The first series of classes were extremely popular and filled up quickly, so for everyone looking for a second chance to get in there and just have fun with paints--sign up NOW by calling 520 515 5492 or email the Center for Lifelong Learning at www.cochise.edu/cll  This is the perfect series of classes for those who have wanted to paint, or get back in to painting--but were hesitant to start!!

  Finally, a "head's up" that we will be doing a change-out of art at the Benson Hospital some time in the latter part of November.  I'll have the specifics on dates and times in next month's newsletter, but it is not too soon to begin thinking about those older paintings and photos that you might want to put on display...
  So that's it for now.  I'm exhausted just thinking about all the things one could be doing this month!  No excuses--get out there and "celebrate the arts!"     Linda

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Note: You may also send your membership payment or donation by check to:
SPRArts
PO Box 1358
Benson, AZ 85602-1358