Fair 66° F

Home > Archive > Feb 14, 2008

‘Unsurpassed Selection’ at Annual Sears Invitational
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
The 21st annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Show and art sale will take place Feb. 16 through March 22 at Dixie State College in the Sears Art Museum Gallery.
“You'll see the most prestigious artists. It's an unsurpassed selection of artwork of excellence, and it also supports the efforts of the Sears Gallery,” Kathy Cieslewicz, Sears Art Museum Gallery curator, said.
More than 200 works of art from about 135 well-known artists from Utah and around the country will be on display at the Sears Invitational, and all the works – from paintings to sculptures – will be for sale.
The Sears Invitational has become an institution at Dixie State since its inception in 1988 and has become “the most well-known, prestigious, largest art sale in Utah,” Cieslewicz said.
“It really is an amazing show,” she said. “It's inspiring.”
Created by Robert N. and Peggy Sears, the Sears Gallery's namesakes, the Invitational gives artists a chance to showcase and sell their work and also supports the Sears Gallery and keeps it running from year to year.
“When anyone purchases a piece of artwork in the gallery, 35 percent of it is a donation for the college,” Cieslewicz said. “That's how we keep the gallery going and take care of the permanent art collection, too.”
The 35 percent of the purchase price that goes to the college is tax-deductible for the purchaser, she said, and the remainder of the purchase price goes to the artist.
Among artists featured this year will be Eric Dowdle, Jerry Anderson, Marilee Campbell, Jerry Hancock, Ryan Skidmore and Steven Lee Adams. Anderson, a local artist from Silver Reef, will include in the invitational his lifelike, 15-foot bronze statue of a Wells Fargo stagecoach and team of horses, which will also be for sale.
An art symposium will begin the events of the Sears Dixie Invitational, Feb. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Dolores Doré Eccles Fine Arts Center on the DSC campus. Invitational co-chair Mary Jane Blayloch, daughter of show founders Robert N. and Peggy Sears, will conduct the symposium, which will feature remarks by artist Michael Malm – formerly of St. George – and will be free to the public.
“He's a very entertaining, personable guy,” Cieslewicz said, “so it will be worthwhile to come to. It will be a great symposium, and he has certainly turned into one of our foremost artists in Utah.”
Following the symposium will be a private gala dinner and pre-sale in the grand foyer of the Eccles center. Art connoisseurs will have a chance to peruse and purchase artwork before the Invitational exhibit opens to the public and also enjoy an elegant dinner, the proceeds to benefit the Sears Gallery. Rob Sears, the invitational's second co-chair and son of Robert N. and Peggy Sears, will address those in attendance at the gala, and there will also be entertainment. The pre-sale will begin at 4 p.m., and the gala dinner will begin at 6 p.m.
Cost for the gala dinner is $75 per plate, and those purchasing art during the pre-sale can receive a discount that evening, Cieslewicz said. To purchase tickets for the gala, contact Susan Taysom at 652-7905.
The Dixie Sears Invitational exhibit is free and will be open to the public Feb. 16 through March 22 in the Sears Art Museum Gallery at Dixie State College. Special gallery hours during the exhibit will be Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We just want everyone to come and enjoy the art,” Cieslewicz said. “It's a tradition in so many people's lives, and we want all of the new people who have moved into our area to make it a part of their lives, as well. We want to turn everyone into art collectors!”
For more information about the Sears Dixie Invitational, call 652-7905. The Sears Gallery Museum, located in the Eccles Fine Art Center, is located at 100 S. 700 East on the Dixie State College campus in St. George.

---