3 minute read
Bring on the Art
NatureWorks Art Show Scheduled for March 7-8
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One of the largest wildlife art shows in the United States is about to descend on the Stoney Creek Hotel in Broken Arrow. The 2020 annual NatureWorks Art Show and Sale will be held on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8.
According to Vic Vreeland, the show will feature paintings, sculptures, and wooden carvings by the top wildlife, western, and landscape artists from across the United States.
“There will be anywhere between 40 and 50 artists from 31 different states, and there are also a couple of Broken Arrow artists that are in the show,” he said. “We have artists come from all over. This is one of the top 10 wildlife art shows in the United States.”
Vreeland said that NatureWorks selects a few featured artists in addition to the many talented exhibiting artists whose work will be on display throughout the entire show. Thirty percent of each art sale goes toward supporting the development and conservation of Oklahoma’s natural habitats, as well as the creatures who live in and depend upon those habitats.
“We do a monument every year with some of the proceeds, and the rest is spent on wildlife conservation. We fund different projects with Oklahoma wildlife — we help buy tractors and things like that. We’ve funded the trout fishing at LaFortune park a couple different times,” he said. “We always work with a lot of conservation-type stuff. We’ve always been a wildlife conservation organization.”
by Ruben Tate
The show started in 1977 under the name of the Ducks Unlimited Art Show and was held at the Westin Hotel in downtown Tulsa. It moved locations several times before being renamed the Oklahoma Wildlife Arts Festival and being held at the Camelot Inn. By 1991, some in the group felt the Art show needed a new direction, and NatureWorks, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit corporation. In 1997, the name of the show was changed to NatureWorks Wildlife Art Show and Sale. That began a period of growth for the show, as painters and sculptors from all over the country sought to participate.
Vreeland said that in 2011, NatureWorks made its highest single sale. A large bronze statue of two cowboys on horseback shaking hands over a fence sold for more than $150,000. The statue now stands at the entrance of a large cattle ranch outside of Ft. Worth, Texas.
“We have all levels of artwork with lots of price points,” he said. “They are not all priced like that one.”
According to the show’s website, the show also features a student art competition that asks students to creatively examine an environmental issue facing their community and world.
“The assignment is to tell an intriguing story with a media project and short written essay that focuses on their personal interest and involvement in wildlife conservation,” the site states.
The winning student claims the coveted Sutton Award, which pays up to $20,000 in cash.
More information on the show may be found by visiting the NatureWorks website at www.natureworks.org.
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