Area artists to participate in Delta Visual Arts Show

Several members of the Newport High School Art Club will participate in the Delta Visual Arts Show on Saturday. Among those attending were,  from the left, Regan Williams with her artwork Midnight, Katie Lewis with The Sunset and Chris Heisler with Psychedelic Tiger. Brian Hickey is the art teacher at the high school, as well as the sponsor of the art club. He also will participate in the show and present a workshop for children 4 to 8.
Several members of the Newport High School Art Club will participate in the Delta Visual Arts Show on Saturday. Among those attending were, from the left, Regan Williams with her artwork Midnight, Katie Lewis with The Sunset and Chris Heisler with Psychedelic Tiger. Brian Hickey is the art teacher at the high school, as well as the sponsor of the art club. He also will participate in the show and present a workshop for children 4 to 8.

NEWPORT — Artists throughout the Three Rivers Edition coverage area will be featured at the sixth annual Delta Visual Arts Show on Saturday in downtown Newport. The event is presented by the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts.

The show will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a reception from 4-6.

This year’s show features 180 artists from five states and 60 Arkansas communities, featuring primarily artists who grew up in the Delta, live or have lived in the Delta, or who produce Delta-themed work. The visual arts cover a broad range of media, including pottery, paintings, jewelry and sculptures.

“The Delta Visual Arts Show is so rewarding to both the artists and the attendees,” said Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Newport Economic Development Commission, one of the sponsors of the show. “By bringing fine art and amazing workshops for the residents of central and northeast Arkansas, we are broadening horizons for young and old alike.

“Giving artists of the Delta and Arkansas access to more customers and markets just continues to grow the creative enterprise in the state. Plus, on top of that, it is just fun.”

Area artists participating in the show include Dustyn Bork, Patricia Boylan, Sabina Burnett, Carly Dahl, the Batesville Area Arts Council, Paige Dirksen, Scott Dirksen, Mike Neal and Dave Timko, all of Batesville; Carla Carlton of Beebe; Martha Bridgeman of Bradford; Dalton Carpenter of Brockwell; Janet Foster, Marty Smith and Kelly Turner, all of Cabot; Stephen Jeffery of Cave City; and Kaye Dumsick-Milligan, Patti Lynn Dunlap, Beth Fern, Bobbie Hanson, Diana Reidling and Brenda Starks, all of Cherokee Village.

Others with work in the show are Aline McCracken of Concord; Kevin Bell and Teresa Smith, both of El Paso; Danny Ramsey and Renee Ramsey, both of Floral;

Laura McNerney and Alli Roberts, both of Franklin; Suzanne Fry and Sherri Groves, both of Hardy; Ellen Hobgood, Jaclyn Holland, Floyd Reynolds, Tammey Ring and Iana Sinkutch, all of Heber Springs; Erica Sommer of Horseshoe Bend; Linda Fergerson of Jacksonport; Tammy Morris of McCrory; Richard Knapp of Mountain View; and Judy Tubbs of Newark.

Also having work in the show are Julia Brand, Kay Brand, Adralyn Elliott, Jeff Ellis, Kristi Henderson, Karin Howard, Debra Bennett Jackson, Katy Lewis, Cheryl Mauldin, John Minor, the Newport High School Art Club, Leaetta Odglen, Jessica Scroggins, Donald E. Smith Jr., Barbara Smock and Ginger Willis, all of Newport; Loraine Brady of Oil Trough; Judy Gagner of Pleasant Plains; Carla Quataert and Michael Quataert, both of Salem; Martha Bartz, Roger Bartz, Larry Burchfield and Brian Hickey, all of Searcy; Patricia Corder and Dewana McIntosh, both of Smithville; Connie Gates of Tuckerman; and Linda J. Gonzales of Williford.

Chadwell said the show will be held at 11 locations in downtown Newport and in the three tents that will serve as art galleries.

“Artists will have their work on display, and visitors will be able to meet the artists, as well as purchase pieces,” Chadwell said. “This is a unique opportunity to own an original piece of art and to understand how the artist produced the piece.”

Several artists will be working at their booths during the show. In addition to opportunities to visit with artists and purchase artwork, workshops will also be held throughout the day.

Presenting workshops for adults will be Larry Burchfield of Searcy, Carla Carlton of Beebe and Marty Smith of Cabot.

Brian Hickey of Searcy will present a workshop for children ages 4-8, and Dewana McIntosh of Smithville will present a workshop for children 9-13.

Featured again this year during the show will be Art Bucks Door Prizes. Three times during the day, drawings will be held for $100 to be spent toward the purchase of art from the show. During the evening reception, an additional drawing for $200 in art bucks will be held. Winners must be present during the drawings.

The Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts will also host the third annual Children of the Delta Youth Art Contest as part of the event. Awards will be given in four categories: pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, first and second grades, third and fourth grades, and fifth and sixth grades.

The second annual This is the Delta Art Show for adults who are participating in the show will be held this year. Awards will be in the following categories: painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, printmaking, mixed media and jewelry. First-, second- and third-place winners in each category, along with first-, second- and third place in Best of Show, will be announced at 9 a.m. Saturday. All entries will remain on display in the Old First National Bank Building (the John Minor Building) throughout the show.

The W.A. Billingsley Jackson County Library will feature works of winners of the Arkansas Arts Center’s 52nd annual Young Artist Contest. The traveling exhibit will have prize-winning works of young Arkansas students from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The traveling exhibit is a cooperative project of the Arkansas Arts Center and the Arkansas Department of Education.

A new food tent will be set up downtown, and local restaurants and civic groups will offer a variety of food throughout the day.

Chadwell said the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts project is a joint project of the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council, the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort (DRIVE), the city of Newport, the Newport Economic Development Commission, Merchants and Planters Bank and hundreds of local volunteers. The Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock facilitated the development of the show. Substantial funding for the show was made possible through a Collaborative Projects Support Grant through the Arkansas Arts Council. Funding for advertising is supplied through the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council.

For more information on the Delta Visual Arts Show, call Chadwell at (870) 503-0793 or email him at director@newportaredc.org.

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