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Bear in Mind
I know, another easy play on word with bears. But honestly what other title could I have used for this month's newsletter? To any one associated with the preparation of the Easthampton Bear Fest, bears have certainly been on their mind a lot in the last few months, and now that the Unveiling Ceremony is just a couple of days away, bears is practically all we think about, talk about, dream about. It's unbearable.
For that reason and I hope you will bear with me, I will keep this intro short,
real short.
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The Elusie Gallery
is happy to invite you to
Silent Stories
real or imagined
A new body of work by
Artist Reception June 13, 5-8pm
part of Art Walk Easthampton
for more information about this exhibit
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Sharp increase in bear sighting predicted this summer in Easthampton
Come June 13th and until Mid October, the bear population of Easthampton will increase by at least 60 units.
Brightly painted and decorated by local and regional artists as well as students from Easthampton's public and private schools, these fiberglass bears -twenty 4 ½' adult bears and fifteen 3' baby bears - sitting on real wood logs will take residence in downtown Easthampton. And about 30 18" mini-bears decorated by Easthampton students will be on display or displayed in local businesses .
A project of Easthampton City Arts, the Easthampton Bear Fest will bear witness to the vitality and dynamism of Easthampton's artistic and cultural life. It will also be a symbol of community spirit, demonstrating in bright colors, clever, creative or whimsical fashion that a region can rally behind a project like this one even in (or maybe because of) difficult economic times.
The kick-off event of the Easthampton Bear Fest will happen
Saturday June 13th with
The Grand Unveiling of the Bears!
This greatly anticipated event will start with an official address by Easthampton Mayor Tautnik and Rep. Scibek at 2 p.m. in the Municipal Parking lot on Cottage Street (by the Easthampton Mural), followed by a open air party with live bands, food, beverages and merchandise taking place behind the Easthampton Savings Bank building on Main Street from 3:30pm until 8pm.
The 35 bears will all be located within walking distance on Cottage St, Union Street, Main Street and Pleasant Street. Maps will be available at both Cottage Street and Easthampton Savings Bank locations and throughout the summer at the ECA office in Easthampton's Old Town Hall.
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Just a few days left to apply for the Eastmont Art Fund's third annual juried fundraising art exhibit. Application deadline is June 15th.
Help us support the efforts of Easthampton City Arts for the Easthampton Bear Fest. Their fundraising is going very well considering our economy thanks to many generous sponsors but the goal has not yet been achieved. If you are an artist or if you know one, this is for you. Note that unlike any other fundraisers of this kind, artists receive a 30% commission from the sale of their artwork..
CALL TO ARTISTS
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~ Eligibility: applicant has to be working or living in the Pioneer Valley, MA.
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~ Media: two-dimensional art created by the applicant within the last 2 years. 1 item per applicant.
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~ Theme: "Bear Necessities". The sighting of Bears is increasingly common in our neighborhoods as these animals are getting bolder in their search for subsistence while - or because - their natural habitat is being threatened by urban sprawl. Applicants artwork can include Bears of course, but also what Bears need to exist in a natural, healthy and sustainable way - for example the landscapes in which they live, the food they eat -- or artwork can depict the challenges and threat that bears or other wildlife are faced with because of human encroachment into their natural habitat.
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~ The exhibition will be held at the Elusie Fine Art Gallery in Easthampton 's Old Town Hall July 25 - August 29.
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~ Reception and Jury Results on opening day July 25.
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~ Criteria for jury deliberation: artistic merit, creativity, originality, and relevance to the theme.
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~ The application is to include an artist statement related to the submitted artwork..
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~ The winning artwork will become part of the Eastmont Art Fund Collection: the original work will be auctioned off and a limited edition giclee print will be published.
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~ An artist commission of 30% will be given for all artwork sold during the exhibition, and of 20% for the prints made from the winning entry.
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~ New this year: the fundraiser will be held in the form of a silent auction. Bidding will start on July 25 and end August 29. Bidding updates will be posted regularly on this page and communicated weekly by email. Bids will be accepted on site, by phone or via email.
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~ Application deadline : June 15th, 2009
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~ Deadline for delivery of artwork: June 30 th, 2009
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~ Application fee : $20.00
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~ The E.A.F. reserves the right to limit the number of artworks exhibited.
For more information and to request an application package, please call 413-529-9265 or e-mail artfund@eastmontgallery.net. To learn more about the Easthampton Bear Fest, visit www.easthamptonbearfest.com
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Eastmont's newsletter in the News
A little self-pat on the shoulder to finish: your favorite newsletter made it to the printed media twice in the last 2 months: the first time in an article about on-line marketing of Decor Magazine, a national picture framing publication.
End of the pat on the shoulder, and of this newsletter. Thank you for reading.
And come and see the bears and celebrate with us this Saturday! | |
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