Art On The Creeks grows up into unique show and sale
Courtesy Photo
Work by artist and Art on the Creeks founder and coordinator Tania Knudsen will among that of 80 artists on show Saturday at Village on the Creeks in Rogers.
Professional artist, teacher and Art on the Creeks creator and coordinator Tania Knudsen says the art show has exploded since the first event was created seven years ago as a way for her students to share what they had learned and created with the general public.
“This was back when we were in a warehouse, and no one involved had ever had a show before,” remembers Knudsen. “It was a new and exciting experience. We had 400 people show up for this little show in a warehouse on a Thursday afternoon! The next year, I moved my studio to Village on the Creeks, and we decided to have another show, and expand it to other businesses in the Village.”
This Saturday, says Knudsen, visitors can expect to see the work of 80 artists, including the original Studio 7 artists. Sixty of the artists are juried, chosen by a committee from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
“We had close to 270 artists apply to be in this year’s show,” she says. “It’s a big deal!”
The day will also include live music, beer and wine and food trucks.
Knudsen says she’s particularly proud of the fact that the show is entirely volunteer-based and funded with donations, which helps keep the costs down for the artists.
“The artists get to come here with no expense of their own, and they get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds of their sales,” she says. Most art shows require an fee to participate as well as commission on any sales made. “I’ve had artists from around the country say, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’ It’s designed as an opportunity for giving — a gift to the community to see this high quality art from all over the country and a gift to the artists to be able to show and sell without any expense for them.
“It’s all really done with a heart of love.”
— Lara Jo Hightower
