SAA's Encounters with the Animal Kingdom Exhibition

 

What do you get when you mix some of the world's best animal art with a beautiful setting... Pure elegance! What a delight it was recently attending the opening for the Society of Animal Artists exhibition "Encounters With the Animal Kingdom" at the lovely Janice Mason Art Museum. Located in the picturesque community of Cadiz, Kentucky, we were welcomed with friendly smiles and open arms by the museum staff, making us feel instantly at home. 

"Wow... it's so beautiful!" were the first words out of our mouths as soon as we entered the exhibition space. The artworks were hung and arranged to create a nice flow as you walked throughout the exhibit. Everything was beautifully illuminated in the pleasant, bright space. Having your artwork well lit is always a big plus as an artist.

 SAA attending artists: Wes Siegrist, Rachelle Siegrist, Leslie Hutto, and Jennifer L. Cook

We were impressed with the attendance at the opening and received constant compliments on the quality of the artwork in the show. One gracious lady said "She absolutely loved the variety in the styles and different types of work, and felt it was the best exhibit she had seen at the museum." A high compliment for the participating SAA members indeed!

The gorgeous, long, antique table was adorned with a stunning collection of fresh daffodils that had been handpicked that morning for the important occasion. Numerous edible treats covered the table as well and  were all totally delicious, especially the margarita cups, which were a creamy margarita flavored filling inside a white chocolate cup, topped with bits of fresh lime zest, tasting like a scrumptious wee key lime pie! Can you say YUM!

It was truly a wonderful afternoon spent enjoying great art, conversation and delicious food!

Many thanks again to The Janice Mason Art Museum and their delightful staff for such a stunning show and a truly wonderful time during the opening. The exhibition will be on display at the museum through April 8th, 2023. So if you or someone you know is near Cadiz or will be visiting the area, I highly recommend a visit to the museum, to see the show!

You can view the show online BY CLICKING HERE. 

Enjoy this short video with an exciting overview of the well attended and fun opening on the SAA's YouTube channel! Remember if you enjoy this and other SAA related videos, please "Like" and "Subscribe" to the channel, as it really helps us as a Society to reach a wider audience. 

Click here for a membership application to join the Society.

Click here to become a Patron Member of the SAA.

 

Until next time ~ SAA member Rachelle Siegrist :)

Two Special Society of Animal Artists Shows

Art That Matters to the Planet

With a very moving theme, the Society of Animal Artists exhibition "Art That Matters to the Planet", consists of SAA member's artworks dealing with issues that our wildlife and the environment face today. Climate change, pollution, overpopulation, and the destruction of habitat are just a few of these serious problems. Many of the works juried into this exhibition, cause the viewer to stop and ponder what's happening to the planet and its inhabitants, hopefully inspiring them to make positive changes whenever possible, and to do their part to help our wildlife and planet. 

"Art That Matters to the Planet" is currently on exhibition at the beautiful Roger Tory Peterson Institute, located in Jamestown, NY, where it will be displayed through October 25th. From there it will travel to The Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in Oradell, NJ, where it will be exhibited from November 20th, through January 16th, 2022. From there it will travel to The Sternberg Museum of Natural History located in Hays, KS, exhibiting there from February 5th through May 5th, 2022. 

Enjoy this video below of the exhibition and view the entire show online here 

Animal Impressions Show

This SAA Special Show is currently on display at The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, located in Tucson, AZ, where it will be exhibited through November 7th.   

See the virtual online gallery here

View the entire show online here

Click here for membership application to join the Society.

Click here to become a Patron Member of the SAA.

Until next time ~ SAA Artist Rachelle Siegrist

60 Years of SAA Exhibitions

The Best Laid Plans ...

One thing constant in life is change, so along those lines, I've had to change the content line-up I had planned for the next couple of blog posts. Because of the COVID 19 virus, we've had to cancel our upcoming 60th Annual Exhibition for the Society of Animal Artists. So this month I've decided to interview the SAA Executive Director Wes Siegrist (AKA my husband) about the history of SAA Exhibitions.

Emily Kapes, Curator of Art and Wes Siegrist, SAA Executive Director at the 58th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.

How many exhibitions have been held by the SAA?

Well, I would first have to clarify exhibitions. Since 1979, the SAA had considered our Annual Exhibition as our main event. Prior to 1979, they hosted a members' show each year. Alongside these, there have been various regional shows as well as touring venues derived from the earlier members' shows or later Annual Exhibitions. I'd also have to say we have a few early years with no historical records but all together, the Society has held at least 246 exhibitions. We also have nine additional upcoming exhibitions under contract.

How many different states have exhibitions been held?

From the SAA archives, at least 38 States have hosted SAA exhibitions. Additionally, the SAA exhibited internationally in Canada in 1995 and England in 2017.

SAA 1980 Exhibition/Convention, San Antonio, TX

How many artists have participated in exhibitions over the years?

SAA archives mostly just track the early member shows and later Annual Exhibitions so that's the only number I can be accurate stating. We are also missing records for 1960-1963. We know at least 863 different artists have participated in the SAA's main exhibitions. It would be well over a thousand total including all shows. Today, SAA exhibitions are members only. In the past, there were some guest artists and works featured from deceased artists of historical note.

How are shows now different than shows from the early days?

I could talk for a long time here! Guess I'll just limit it to saying in the old days, we had no jury (or a more lenient jury), we hung prints along with originals, and we allowed more than one work from each artist. All of these have changed now. We started with awards in 1979 and have gradually tightened our juries, judging, and overall policies. It should be noted that our membership grew significantly some years until our membership jury also became more strict. We've averaged about 500 members for the last decade which means getting into an exhibition with limited space is always a challenge!

SAA 1980 Exhibition/Convention, San Antonio, TX

Since you've recently spent time in the SAA archives, was there anything that you found especially interesting?

1. At least 17 different members have exhibited in 30 or more of our Annual Exhibitions! The top five in ascending order are Sue Westin (35), Kent Ullberg (36), George L. Schelling (37), Marilyn Newmark (42) and Guy Coheleach (48)!

2.  The SAA didn't start jurying our exhibitions until 1976. We had a smaller membership back then and members were encouraged to just submit their best work. The SAA Board required any show officially sponsored by the SAA to be juried starting in 1983.

3. The SAA added two new categories of membership starting in 2010. We recognized artists that have been juried into 15 or more annual exhibitions as "Distinguished Signature Members" and those who have received 5 or more Awards of Excellence as our "Master Signature Members".

~  ( )  ~

You can easily Become A Patron Member of The SAA

Until next time ~ Rachelle Siegrist for the SAA