53rd ANNUAL SIDEWALK ART SHOW RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN ROANOKE

More Than 150 Artists from Across the Country to Display Work Roanoke, Va.

(May 23, 2011)-This June the Taubman Museum of Art will again present one of western Virginia's most anticipated summer traditions. Coordinated by members of the museum's Volunteer Guild, the 53rd Annual Sidewalk Art Show will be held in downtown Roanoke on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. The show will be open to the public on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Proceeds Benefit Museum's Education Programs

The Sidewalk Art Show infuses downtown Roanoke with creativity and is a premier destination for fine art shopping. All of the works exhibited are for sale, including original paintings, drawings, watercolors, etchings, mixed media, fine art photographs, fine crafts, and sculpture. All proceeds from the Sidewalk Art Show benefit the museum's education and outreach programs.

"The museum's Sidewalk Art Show committee has been hard at work all year long organizing what promises to be another fabulous show," says committee chair Yvonne Olson. "We look forward to seeing many artists who return year after year, as well as a number of artists who are exhibiting for the first time. In addition to art of all kinds to admire and purchase, attendees will find KidZone, where children can create their own art," Olson explains.

Due to the City Market Building renovation, the show will have some changes to the usual layout. Instead of exhibiting on Wall and Market Streets, some artists will show their art along Norfolk Avenue, behind the Taubman Museum of Art, in effect wrapping the museum in art and emphasizing the relationship between the art show and the museum.


Paintings, Sculpture, Photography and More
This year's show will feature more than 150 outstanding artists from across the United States, with a strong representation of artists from across Virginia. The judge for this year's show will be Heather Russell. Ms. Russell is an adjunct professor of art history at Virginia Commonwealth University and is the owner and director of Russell/Projects, a contemporary art gallery in Richmond. In addition to awards for best in show, second prize and third prize, awards will be presented in the categories of painting, watercolor, mixed media, photography, fine crafts, sculpture and drawing/original printmaking. Three memorial awards will also be presented, along with an award for excellence in design.

Corporate and Community Support
The Sidewalk Art Show is presented again this year by Bank of America. Additional support, including sponsorship of individual awards, comes from Grand Home Furnishings, Davenport & Company, Anstey Hodge Advertising Group, Awful Arthur's, Southern Graphics & Supply and Pat and Jim Kermes. Other downtown businesses lending their support include Nawab, Signature 9 Gallery, LaDeDa and Thelma's Chicken & Waffles. Media sponsors include WDBJ7, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Cox Communications.

For more information about the Sidewalk Art, please visit the museum's website at taubmanmuseum.org, or call 540.342.5760. For more information about ways to support the museum's education and outreach programs, contact Kim Williamson, director of development for the Taubman Museum of Art, at kwilliamson@taubmanmuseum.org.



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