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…
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I live here in Bellingham, and I’d love to know more about this show. I am a polymer clay art doll artist.
Pat
Hi Pat. Unfortunately, Xan wasn’t able to find a good spot for the show, and she had to cancel it. However, she does plan to do it again in the spring, which will give her more time to get things organized. You should contact her directly using the email in the post above – I know she’d love to hear from you.
Hi Pat. I’d prefer to say, we postponed the show to a better time slot.
I still very much intend to have it. If you’re interested in helping or participating, please contact me, and we’ll see what’s what.
Thanks, Jonni! This show is going to be a lot of fun. We’d love to have all media represented, too. Jonni’s got the paper mache sculpture nicely in hand, so far. My husband is going to do some paintings, and some etched marble tiles. A friend is (hopefully) bringing up some cast bronze chess pieces from New Mexico, and Jonni’s dad is contributing some of his stepping stones. There may be more: jewelry, prints, pastels. There is, however, plenty of room!
I’d love to hear from you!