The Whitesboro Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) will host its 16th community art show March 8-10 at the Jimmie O. Rector Community Center. The show is open to all area artists to submit their artwork for viewing. This event is entirely free -- there is no charge to artists to submit their work, and there is no charge to visit and view the art.
The event will begin Friday evening with a reception honoring all of the artists from 7-8:30 p.m. The reception is open to the public and is a good opportunity for visitors to meet the artists.
“This year we are delighted to include a demonstration by our Feature Artist, Rob Jordan, at the reception,” PARD director Penny Renfroe said. “The reception is a great opportunity to meet local artists and learn about their work. 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.”
Also on Friday evening is the selection of Viewers’ Choice Awards. Viewers may vote for their favorite art pieces in different categories: drawing, painting, 3D or photography. These categories will be available for both adult and youth divisions.
“This will be the seventh year that we have included Viewers’ Choice Awards,” Renfroe said. “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. It’s also extremely gratifying for the award winners.”
The show continues on Saturday with viewing available from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and again on Sunday from noon-5 p.m. There is no charge for admission.
“We see this event as an opportunity for a service to the community,” Renfroe said. “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.”
The Feature Artist for this year is Rob Jordan. Jordan is a sixth-generation native Texan who was born and raised in Grayson County. He is an artist who is known for his focus on wildlife scenes and sports art. Having grown up enjoying the outdoors as well as having a passion for sports, Jordan draws and paints these scenes in an effort to realistically capture a moment in time using mediums ranging from oil and acrylic paint to charcoal and colored pencils. Jordan enjoys creating art that features local high school athletes in action, and some of these works have been featured by local news outlets.
Jordan has been married to his wife Steph for 22 years and they have three daughters, Katy, Keelie and Khloe. When he’s not painting, Rob enjoys watching Rangers baseball and high school football.
The community art show was re-named in 2011 in memory of Shauney Lucas, a young photographer who was killed in an automobile accident in October of 2010.
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.
