Any sportsman knows that the right piece of wildlife or outdoor-related artwork can create just the right atmosphere in a home, lake cabin or hunting camp. Whether it is a sculpture of a deer, a painting of a lone coyote or a hand-crafted wood carving, nature-focused artwork has a way of grabbing the attention of anyone nearby. Those interested in viewing or shopping a large selection of outdoor and wildlife artwork can do so March 1-2 at the 2014 NatureWorks Art Show and Sale in Tulsa.
NatureWorks is a Tulsa-based nonprofit group dedicated to wildlife conservation and education, and its annual art show is the fundraising tool it uses to support a range of conservation projects.
The show will feature works created by artists from across the United States and abroad. Art sales from the show help generate matching grants to assist with a variety of state wildlife conservation projects.
NatureWorks has partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on several efforts that are now benefiting Oklahoma wildlife and sportsmen. Past projects funded by the art show have included, among others, habitat and renovation work on Spavinaw Wildlife Management Areas in northeast Oklahoma and a telemetry project on Grand Lake to monitor the impact of catch-and-release paddlefish snagging on the fish’s spawning success and mortality.
NatureWorks also has supported Wildlife Department’s duck stamp print program and centennial duck stamp print, and habitat work at the Harold Stuart Waterfowl Refuge Unit within the Deep Fork Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and the Grassy Slough WMA. NatureWorks also has been an important supporter of the Wildlife Department’s Hunters Against Hunger program, in which hunters can donate their legally harvested deer to feed hungry Oklahomans.
In recent years the art show also has funded a renovation to the entrance of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters building to make it more accessible to persons with disabilities as well as more aesthetically pleasing to motorists and pedestrians. A monument was created on the property by wildlife sculptor Stephen LeBlanc depicting three whitetail deer on the run. The whitetail monument is one of more than 20 life-size and heroic-size wildlife monuments donated to others by NatureWorks, many of which can be seen along the City of Tulsa’s Riverside Drive.
This year the show’s feature artist will be Maryland sculptor Paul Rhymer, whose artwork has been exhibited in a variety of museums, zoos, public buildings and private parks across the United States. A listing of other artists exhibiting at the 2014 show is available on the NatureWorks website at natureworks.org.
The show will be held at the Tulsa Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center is located at 6808 South 107th East Avenue (71st and U.S.-169) in Tulsa. For more information about NatureWorks or the art show, log on towww.natureworks.org.
Hours for the show are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Tickets are $5, and one ticket is good for both days.
