The annual Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale, one of the biggest art events in the state of Utah, celebrates its 34th year this month.
The Sears Dixie Invitational, which will be on display beginning Feb. 13 at the Sears Art Museum in the Dolores Dore´ Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Dixie State University campus, will feature more than 240 works of art from 140 renowned artists. DSU Sears Art Museum Curator and Director Kathy Cieslewicz noted that this year’s show will feature strong representation of landscapes, genre, still life, figures, ceramics and sculpture. The show will feature a variety of styles from super realism to extreme abstraction and include works done in oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic, bronze and glass.
“Viewers will find a full scope that one could expect to find in some of the biggest art shows across the country,” Cieslewicz said. “Lying at the heart of this significant collection of artworks are artists who have created wonderful pieces and then presented in an effort to raise money to support the Sears Art Museum. We encourage art lovers from near and far to participate. Culture has always been important in our area and artists continue to be drawn to our beautiful Southern Utah landscape.”
Since the inaugural Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show in 1988, a portion of the proceeds from each piece purchased has been allocated to support the art museum on Dixie State’s campus. The Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show made its debut in that new space in 2005, and, the museum bears the name of the show’s founders, the late Robert N. and Peggy Sears.
The goal of the invitational is to give people the opportunity to purchase art, gain a purchase prize to add to the DSU Permanent Collection and educate students and community.
“It is my great pleasure to work with professional artists and to create a pleasing installation of magnificent artwork that is surely enhanced by the uniquely evocative setting of the Sears Museum Gallery,” Cieslewicz said. “We are very grateful to the Sears family and our many patrons who are helping us to fulfill our mission and to help us continue to build our collections through gifts and donations. We are excited to greet thousands of people who make this a yearly destination.”
Because the COVID-19 pandemic has required some changes in the programing, a video will be looped in the museum to highlight last year’s Purchase Prize winner, Kim Whitesides, instead of the traditional symposium.
Whitesides made an impact in the art community at a very young age. While working as an illustrator in New York City from the late 60s through the mid 80s, his paintings appeared in many publications, including Time Magazine, Rolling Stone and Playboy. He received numerous awards from The Art Directors Club of New York and The Society of Illustrators. It was at this time that Whitesides began a period of bold work with the airbrush that emphasized the simplified spaces and clean lines of art deco and art moderne, for which he gained a national reputation.
A native Utahn, Whitesides believes art is a language and an opportunity for his vision to inspire others. He continues to grow as an artist, as his art is constantly opening doors on new vistas.
“Each medium has been like learning a new language and has spawned the desire to become fluent, whatever the subject matter,” Whitesides said.
The Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show is open to the public Feb. 13 through April 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays. Admission is free, and visitors are expected to wear masks and maintain social distancing. For more information, call 435-652-7909 or visit searsart.com.