Xan Blackburn, an artist that I “met” on this site, is organizing an after-Thanksgiving art show in Bellingham, WA. You may remember Xan’s paper mache dog portrait that was featured on this site in August.

Xan is charging a very low commission to artists who participate, and she’s donating all of the commission she receives to a local organization that  works tirelessly to rescue, spay and neuter wild and stray cats. I’m delighted that she invited me to participate, and she is now looking for more artists who would like to show their work. You’ll get exposure and sales while also helping Xan support a very worthy cause.

Every year hundreds of domestic kitties are dropped off in the country by folks who don’t realize it’s much more humane to take an unwanted cat to the Humane Society. Very few of the cats that are dumped will survive more than a few days on their own, and the ones that do have many health problems and live a very high-stress life. The Creatures’ Comfort organization finds homes for the feral cats they catch that are adoptable, and they provide spay and neuter services for feral cats to reduce the number of cats in the wild. These animals are an introduced foreign species that can damage native wildlife, so reducing their numbers is important for many reasons. Kudos to Xan for supporting them.

Xan is looking for more artists to participate in the show, which will take place in Bellingham from  Friday, November 27th through December 6th. Xan is calling her project the “Sudden Gallery.” Why? During this recession many storefronts in prime retail areas are empty. Pop-up galleries are being created to make good use of these empty spaces, which benefits landlords, artists, and the public, too. This is a movement that is becoming popular in cities worldwide.

All of the items sold in the show will be related, in one way or another, to cats. If you would like to be considered for the show, and you have paintings, drawings, sculptures, note cards, or ?? with a cat-related theme, Xan would love to hear from you. She would prefer local artists in the Bellingham area who can volunteer to help set up the show and participate in the two opening nights, but she’s willing to work with artists and craftspeople from out of town. Shipping of products to and from the show would have to be negotiated with her if you don’t live close enough to drop off your products before the show.

So – interested? Contact Xan for a copy of the submission guidelines. But do it quick – Thanksgiving is just around the corner…