SAUGERTIES, NY (February 22, 2010)—HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that, together with Fletcher Gallery in Woodstock, New York, it will produce and host a summer-long equestrian art exhibition. The Exhibition will run from May through September and will culminate with an auction on Friday, September 10 to raise funds for FAMILY of Woodstock, Inc., which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
HITS has been producing equestrian art events and galas for its horse shows for a number of years, including the HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Galas that have been a part of the shows in Saugerties since the show grounds opened in 2004. This winter, HITS is hosting two Equine Art events at its circuits in Thermal, California and Ocala, Florida. The Equine Art Galas are among the most popular special events that take place during the horse shows, bringing together artists, equestrians and art lovers for an evening of fine art, fabulous food and social delights.
The 2010 HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Auction will take place during the Saugerties horse show season, which runs from May 26 and continues until September 12 when HITS will close out the season with a most historic event - the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. The Pfizer Million represents the richest Grand Prix in the world and riders from around the globe are already planning to make their way to Saugerties to take part in this incredible class.
"With the buzz growing throughout the sport about the Pfizer Million, we are expecting an extraordinary season in Saugerties," said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. "We are very excited to join forces with Tom Fletcher of Fletcher Gallery to produce a fine art project that will engage top artists, the community and our customers for a great cause. FAMILY of Woodstock is an incredible organization and we are thrilled to take part in such an event that will raise awareness of and support for their noble work."
Artwork from the Exhibition will be on display in various locations throughout the community for the duration of the HITS season and in early September will be on final display at the Fletcher Gallery located at 40 Mill Hill Road in Woodstock, New York. After the Gallery show, the collection will move to the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds where, on Friday evening, September 10, it will be auctioned to raise funds for the participating artists and for Family of Woodstock, Inc., a community-service organization serving the people and families of Ulster County for more than 40 years.
The HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition will feature artwork in various mediums submitted by artists from around the Hudson Valley region and the country. HITS issued the official call for artists on February 2 and has already received a great response with interest from its coffers of equine artists, including 2010 Cover Artist for the HITS Thermal Official Show Program Alicia Rothman. In addition, the involvement of Fletcher Gallery has already produced some internationally renowned artists to participate in the Exhibition, including Chinese American artist HongNiang Zhang. His works of art have been exhibited and acquired by galleries, corporate collections, and museums in various countries, including the United States, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Zhang has been written about as one of the most important realist painters of the latter half of the 20th Century. Works by Zhang have been included in Sotheby’s and China Guardian auctions with a high auction record of $270,000 for his painting 'Yellow River'.
"Fletcher Gallery is honored to be involved with HITS and FAMILY for this event," said Fletcher. "As curator, our job will be to seek out the best artists and inspire them to create or submit their top-level work for this Exhibition. We are looking for a variety of submissions, including quality oils, sculptures and even some period pieces to make this a diverse equine-themed collection."
According to Fletcher many of the artists that his gallery represents have expressed a desire to participate in the Exhibition. "Our goal will be to produce a collection that will generate a lot of interest and make for a beautiful exhibition that will raise money for both Family and the participating artists."
As beneficiary of the HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Auction, FAMILY of Woodstock will receive 50% of the proceeds raised from each piece of artwork auctioned, with the remaining 50% going directly to the artist.
"This will be a well advertised event in which each individual artist will gain much recognition and exposure," said Heather Toboika, Director of Fletcher Gallery. "We are asking prospective artists to submit their best work for entrance into the Exhibition. Everyone involved has high expectations about the quality of work that will be accepted and successfully auctioned off for this event."
Artists interested in submitting work for consideration should complete an Artist Application and submit their work by April 2. Fletcher and Toboika will review all submissions and make the final selection of participants by April 16.
Businesses interested in displaying work from the HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Auction should contact Missy Nevil at Missy@HitsShows.com or 845.246.8833.
For more information about the HITS-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Auction, please visit the Exhibition website or contact Fletcher Gallery.
About Tom Fletcher and Fletcher Gallery
Tom Fletcher has owned and operated Fletcher Gallery in Woodstock, New York since 1992. His expertise is American painting from 1900-1950. Fletcher Gallery handles many noteworthy estates from this period including those of Rolph Scarlett, Konrad Cramer and Josef Presser. The gallery also represents important contemporary realist painters such as HongNian Zhang, Eva Van Rijn and Eric Angeloch. Tom Fletcher is on the board of Woodstock School of Art and is a frequent juror for art exhibitions throughout the Hudson Valley. Heather Toboika has been Director of Fletcher Gallery since 2004.
About FAMILY of Woodstock, Inc.
Since 1970, FAMILY has been an anchor for Ulster County area residents – a place where people are respectful and caring, and where the search for solutions is creative and tireless. FAMILY's shelters, emergency food pantries, court advocates, counseling and case management services, hotlines, and child-care supports all work together to help people achieve the changes they seek.
Our services are, with few exceptions, free of charge and confidential. For 40 years, FAMILY has been a leader locally throughout Ulster County and in New York State, developing programming and support for people in need. |
