The Whitesboro Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) will host its 17th community art show March 7, 8 and 9 at the Jimmie O. Rector Community Center. The show is open to all area artists to submit their art work for viewing. This event is entirely free; there is no charge to artists submitting their work, and there is no charge to visit and view the art.
The event will begin on Friday evening with a reception honoring all of the artists from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The reception is open to the public, and it is a good opportunity for visitors to meet the artists.
“This year we are delighted to showcase the work of our Feature Artist, Garrett Thurman at the reception. We are so appreciative to have the Whitesboro History Club as co-hosts for the Artists’ Reception once again. They are co-sponsors for this event, and they do a beautiful job of decorating and hosting for the weekend,” PARD Director Penny Renfroe said.
Also to take place at the Artists’ Reception on Friday evening will be the selection of Viewers’ Choice Awards. Viewers may vote for favorite art pieces in several different categories: drawing, painting, 3D or photography. These categories will be available for both adult and youth divisions.
“This will be the eighth year that we have included Viewers’ Choice Awards. This is a great way to engage viewers to really study the works and to give them an opportunity to actively participate in the show,” Renfroe said. “It’s also extremely gratifying for the award winners.”
The show continues on Saturday with viewing available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and again on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
“We see this event as a service to the community. The arts are so vital, and we have many gifted artists in our area that are almost unknown. It is so amazing to hear people talk to old friends and say, ‘Wow, I had no idea that you could paint like that’, or ‘I never knew that you were a photographer!’ What a blessing to give those talented people a platform to showcase their work,” Renfroe said.
Thurman is a Whitesboro resident and a relative newcomer to the art world, as he has been seriously exploring drawing with charcoal and graphite for a little over a year. He describes his work as hyperrealism. Thurman won the Adult Viewers’ Choice award last year for his drawing, Sneak Peek.
“I’m still learning and growing, and I’m excited to see where my journey will take me in the next five years,” Thurman said. “Creating art has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I hope everyone has the chance to discover the joy of bringing something to life through their own creativity.”
While the art show has been held for 17 years, it was re-named in 2011 in memory of Shauney Lucas, a young photographer who was killed in an automobile accident in October of 2010. Lucas was a member of the PARD staff and was instrumental in the early art shows.
For more information about the art show, visit the Parks and Recreation Department’s website at www.whitesborotexas.com/pard. Everyone is invited to attend the show at 400 Wilson Street in Whitesboro and view local artists’ work.
