Culture
Arts West’s Cat Art Show Opens March 7, Premieres New Arts West Logo
By: Emily Votaw
Posted on:
Master pet painter Stephen Huneck once said that most anyone would rather see a painting of a pet they knew well than a masterpiece by any artist.
This statement is proved a truism based on the number of submissions that Arts West has received for their Second Annual Cat Art Show, which will have an opening on Thursday, March 7, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Arts West (132 West State Street, Athens). Last year the show was simply a riff on the arts organization’s cat logo, with the art provided by the artists at Integrated Services for Behavioral Health. This year the organization opened up submissions to the general public, and they were stunned at the number they received.
The event will also feature cat themed lived music, cat videos, and a silent auction to benefit Meowterspace Cat Rescue and Arts West. About half of the art that will be on display is from Integrated Services for Behavioral Health, while the other half was submitted by the public. Integrated Services will also be on hand at the event March 7, with pizza!
Also worth noting is the fact that Arts West will debut a brand new logo at the event, which was designed by Jo Hansbarger, the Gallery Coordinator for Arts West.
“Last year’s event was just so much more than we had expected it to be, which was amazing,” said Emily Beveridge, the Executive Director of Arts West. “Both Jo (Hansbarger) and I wanted to build off of that energy for this year’s event. For me, when you’re thinking about an organization like Arts West, you want to have a certain identity, and the event we had last year is one that I am really proud of. It was something that really had to be seen to be believed – it was a little bizarre and very Athens. Our musician dressed up as a cat to sing cat songs, and we had cat themed art and cat videos – and I think that is the mark of a great event — in that it captured the zeitgeist of Athens and Arts West.”