Artists and art collectors from across the southeast have taken notice of the Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival and Art Gone Wild exhibit.
The festival and show has several partners attracting artists seeking a $10,000 payday. According to The Kelly executive director Jennifer Eifert, WEWA is bringing the wildlife art world together.
PHOTOS: Art Gone Wild opens at The Kelly
“The prize brings some of the artists,” Eifert said. “The collectors are also starting to take notice in the show’s third year. Anytime you get collectors coming, you get better artists.”
The third year of the exhibit showcases artists from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Virginia. Local artists are involved as well, such as Alexander City’s John Denney. He and his twin brother Jim have won the competition for the Alabama Duck Stamp several times over the years. For WEWA, John painted three wood ducks flying in hopes of getting awarded the prize.
“It was tough with all the guidelines,” Denney said. “It was also a short time frame to work in.”
Other entries are from artists such as Dirk Walker and Sue Key.
The prize comes through a partnership with the Alabama Wildlife Federation and Liv Development. The winning piece of art will belong to the federation, which sets the rules.
Eifert said the federation specifies things such as size of the work and the species depicted.
“It most often goes along with what they feel like is a need in their current collection,” Eifert said.
Currently there are two different shows at The Kelly along the same theme. There is the Art Gone Wild and the Alabama Wildlife Fine Art Competition.
“Both are juried,” Eifert said. “I think that is one of the reasons we are starting to attract collectors. Everything is of high quality.”
The shows opened to crowds Thursday night. Eifert said many pieces sold the first night and there is high interest in the competition pieces.
“We have notes from buyers and collectors about pieces they like,” Eifert said. “If the piece they are interested in doesn't win, they want to be contacted about a possible purchase.”
The winner of the Alabama Wildlife Competition will be announced at the Wetumpka Wildlife Arts Festival sponsor event on Friday, Oct. 18. The next day the festival will fill the streets and parks of downtown Wetumpka beginning at 10 a.m.
There are demonstrations from Bullseye with Bennett’s Archery, Goldbeck Gundogs, Covey Flush and Alabama School of Fly Fishing.
There are food and drink demonstrations with Iron Fire Cooking’s Ricky Albright featuring cooking with cheese curds — MasterChef Jr. winner Bryson McGlynn, Trace Barnett, Christiana Rousell and local chef Wil Lanum.
The Alabama Nature Center will have Coosa River Critters and animal ambassadors. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management has fishing printing. There will be birds of prey and a chance to build a wood duck box.
