Download 2008 Art of Conservation Exhibit Brochure

Location: Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum

Show Opening: Fall 2008

On its 10th anniversary year, the Artists for Conservation Foundation will launch its first annual juried exhibition - "The Art of Conservation - An International Exhibition of Nature in Art" - featuring the nature art of its members. The exhibition celebrates artistic excellence in the depiction of nature, raises awareness of conservation issues and directly supports organizations dedicated to addressing them.

The purpose of the exhibition is three-fold: i) To support conservation through fundraising and education; ii) To showcase the extraordinary pool of artistic talent in the AFC; and iii) To expose the nature art genre to new prospective collectors in audiences outside the conventional nature/wildlife art collecting circles.

The exhibition will be launched in September 2008 at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum (HBAM) – one of the world's leading museums for nature and wildlife art – situated half an hour from New York City. The HBAM will host this four-month, inaugural exhibition along with some exciting associated events, including a special weekend reception.

The HBAM will be assembling an independent jury for the purpose of selecting approximately 120 works by AFC Signature Members, a large number of which will be for sale. The exhibition will also include some of the art resulting from AFC Flag Expeditions and a small informational display highlighting our conservation beneficiary partner, WCS.

Conservation Beneficiary - Wildlife Conservation Society
An important part of the exhibition will be to serve as a public relations and fundraising vehicle for a leading, internationally-oriented conservation organization. The exhibition will educate the public and highlight the projects and initiatives of our annual conservation beneficiary partner. In addition, the beneficiary will receive a share of the revenues resulting from the sale of artwork in the show. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based in New York City, has been selected as our beneficiary for 2008 and will be actively promoting the exhibition to their membership.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide.  We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo.  Together, these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony.  WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

They uniquely combine the resources of wildlife parks in New York with field projects around the globe to inspire care for nature, provide leadership in environmental education, and help sustain our planet's biological diversity. Today WCS is at work in 60 nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and the world’s oceans, protecting wild landscapes that are home to a vast variety of species from tiny toads to tigers.

Their pioneering environmental education programs reach millions locally, nationally and internationally. They also produce the magazine Wildlife Conservation six times per year, which is distributed widely.

For more information about WCS, please visit their website.

Show Book
Accompanying the exhibition will be a high-quality, hardcover book reproducing in color all the works selected for the exhibition. A portion of the book will highlight projects and initiatives of our first conservation beneficiary partner, WCS as well as AFC Flag Expeditions.

Opening Reception Weekend
The HBAM will be hosting a celebratory weekend scheduled for September 26-28, 2008. The weekend will include a a range of activities including field trips, slideshow presentations and a special awards ceremony (including presentation of the Simon Combes Conservation Award and the Hiram Blauvelt Purchase Award). 

Touring Exhibit
Immediately following the opening exhibition at the HBAM, a selection of the show’s artworks will be included in a touring exhibit (locations TBA) for approximately one year. While venues have not yet been finalized, the AFC is working to establish a tour involving top-notch venues that reaches a broad audience and wide geographical range.

Awards
Several awards honoring individuals for artistic merit and contribution to the advancement of the conservation agenda will be presented as part of the opening reception weekend. These include:

• The AFC’s Simon Combes Conservation Award honoring an artist member who, through his/her artistic talent has made an extraordinary contribution to the conservation cause.
• The Hiram Blauvelt Purchase Award, to at least one available artwork in the show. The award will be equal to the sale price of the artwork as indicated by the artist in the entry form, minus 25%. The winning work(s) will become part of the HBAM art collection.
• At least three AFC Awards of Excellence based on the artwork selected for the exhibition and chosen by the independent jury. More may be given at the discretion of the jury.

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