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For release:   Immediately

Event date:    Saturday & Sunday, November 21 and 22

 

Wild, natural, and free: the Wildlife Art Festival

 

Art and the natural world is the theme of the 27th annual Wildlife Art Festival at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, November 21 from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, November 22 from 9am to 4pm, with a reception to meet the artists on Friday evening, November 20. During the festival, two dozen prominent artists will exhibit paintings, sculptures, carvings, photographs, and limited edition prints in the museum galleries. The festival is organized by the San Bernardino County Museum Association; admission and parking are free.

The festival also includes the top entries from this year’s Federal Duck Stamp competition in their first West Coast exhibition. Children’s art is represented by classroom projects for the Tom Bennett Children’s Art and Environmental Science Competition, open to students in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Family activities centered around art and the natural world are scheduled on both days of the festival.

 

Festival History

The Wildlife Art Festival began when top paintings from the Federal Duck Stamp Contest were first shown on the West Coast in 1983 at the San Bernardino County Museum. >From this exhibit of small, exquisitely detailed paintings, the festival has grown and evolved over the years while maintaining its focus on wildlife and conservation. Twenty-seven years ago, the event was called the “Waterfowl Festival,” and art works featured water birds. As more and more artists sought to enter their works in the festival, a wider range of wildlife paintings was accepted into the event. This year, participating artists will show subject matters related to the natural world.

 

Festival Artists

Since 1987, a Featured Artist has been selected every year to produce a work of art as a signature piece for that year’s event. This year Lindsey Foggett, an 18-year resident of Forest Falls, California, will unveil a work created especially for the festival. As a wildlife artist, she spends her time balancing between exploring the national parks throughout North America and creating paintings in her studio in the local San Bernardino Mountains.  

“When I was asked to come up with a featured print for the festival, I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to share what has been my continuous inspiration on a daily basis,” said Foggett. “I decided to step back in time, when the local mountains were home to its native bear, the grizzly. Found throughout California until the early 1900s, this incredible animal was a common sight roaming our mountains and valleys. Through this painting I hope not only to remind the viewer of the beauty that lies just a short distance away but of a time forgotten, of a magnificent animal that is now all but a memory on our state flag.”

Other participating artists are Peter Adams (Redlands, CA), Cliff Barnes (Burbank, CA), Ray Brown, Jr. (Lake Forest, CA), Circe (Fullerton, CA), J. Milton Clark (San Bernardino, CA), Barbara Jean Emerich (Bron, CA), Truong Buu Giam (Westminster, CA), Pat Gilmore (Vista, CA), Carol Heiman-Greene (Orange, CA), Brenda Johnson (Crestline, CA), Gary Johnson (Encinitas, CA), Leslie Kirchner (Green Valley, CA), Lee Kromschroeder (Escondido, CA), Seetharam Maddali (Redlands, CA), Dennis Schroeder (Junction City, CA), Robert Steiner (San Francisco, CA), Pam Stoehsler (Klamath Falls, OR), Rob Sutton (Monrovia, CA), Liza Theval (Redondo Beach, CA), Diane Versteeg (Spokane, WA), and Terry Woodall (North Bend, OR).

 

Family Programs

The importance that the museum places on education and the efforts it makes to serve children as well as adults is typified at the Wildlife Art Festival by museum education division programs and the Tom Bennett Children’s Art and Science competition, which encourages elementary grade students to work with their school classes in learning about wildlife habitats. This year’s theme, “Birds of a Feather,” encourages study, observation, and creative art related to birds in their habitats in grade level competitions. The competition is dedicated to the memory of Tom Bennett, under whose guidance many wildlife species were protected during his years with the California Fish and Game Commission.

On Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from 9am to 4pm, the museum’s education division with the support of the Museum Youth Club will organize a variety of hands-on art experiences for children and families using paint and natural materials. The Ramona-Country Carvers will provide hands-on instruction in carving, and artist Trudy Wood will teach drawing and pastel classes for children 9 to 15 years old. All family activities are free.

 

Federal Duck Stamp Story

The top entries from the Federal Duck Stamp art competition will be exhibited at the museum from November 17 through 22. “Duck Stamps” are not postage stamps; they are revenue stamps purchased by waterfowl hunters to validate their hunting licenses each year. The proceeds from stamp sales are the single largest source of funding for wetlands habitat conservation and enhancement. The stamp design, new each year, is chosen through a prestigious, federally-sponsored art contest called the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp.

Since 1934, the “Duck Stamp” program has raised $770 million to preserve wetlands acres within 186 national wildlife refuges. These refuges are used by one-third of our threatened and endangered species, two-thirds of our most important commercial and sporting species of marine fish, and songbirds, shorebirds, and countless other species. Birdwatchers, photographers, fishermen, and others who enjoy wildlife can contribute to the conservation of wildlife habitat by purchasing Duck Stamps at most post offices, wildlife refuges, and many licensed hunting retail stores.

The San Bernardino County Museum is at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. Admission during the festival is free, and parking is free. The Exploration Station live animal gallery will be open from 1 to 4pm. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call (909) 307-2669. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is (909) 307-2669 ext. 229 or TDD (909) 792-1462.