10th Annual Delta Visual Arts Show Reaches Capacity with 210 Visual Artists,
25 Literary Artists (Authors) and 10 Musical Artists
The Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts announces the 10th Annual Delta Visual Arts Show on Saturday, February 24, 2018 in downtown Newport, Arkansas. The show will be open to the public at 10 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. This year’s show features 210 visual artists, 25 Authors and 10 Musicians from four states and 65 Arkansas communities, highlighting primarily artists who grew up in the Delta, live or have lived in the Delta or who produce Delta themed work. The visual art covers a broad range of art from pottery to painting and jewelry to sculpture. The literary art features artists who write in a broad range of categories, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s works.The show will be held at several locations in downtown Newport including the Iron Mountain Train Depot on Front Street, the Newport Business Resource Center on Hazel Street, the First Baptist Church Family Life Center on Second Street, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Third Street, The First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall on Laurel Street, Frankie’s Place on Front Street, the Future Museum Building on Third Street, the Grimes Building on Second Street, the Shear Magic Building on Front Street, the W.A. Billingsley Library on Walnut Street, and a heavy-duty tent that will turn the Walnut Street into an art gallery. Artists will have their work on display, and visitors will be able to meet the artists as well as purchase pieces. This is a unique opportunity to own an original piece of art and to understand how the artist produced the piece. Several artists will be conducting demonstrations at their booths during the show. The show features well-known artists from throughout the state and young new artists who are setting up for the very first time.
Each venue will have live acoustical music. Musicians will also be playing extended sets at Frankie’s Place from 11 am to 6 pm. For a complete list of artists participating feel free to email director@newportaredc.org.
An amazing young artist will paint to music in a performance art session that will thrill adults and children. She will perform two shows during the day – one at 10:30 am and one at 4:15 pm. Both shows will be at Frankie’s Place on Front Street. Make plans to see the very first performance art session at the Delta Visual Arts Show.
In addition to being able to visit with artists and purchase art work, there will also be workshops throughout the day. The Delta Visual Arts Show will feature workshops and demonstrations for adults on various artistic techniques. All workshops are free and links to the event pages can be found on the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts Facebook page under events.
This year there will be workshops for youth, with two workshops aimed at children from 4 years old to 8 years in the morning and two workshops aimed at ages 9 to 13 in the afternoon. The workshops are free and information will be located on the Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts Facebook page under events.
The Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts is also hosting the Annual Children of the Delta Youth Art Contest in connection with the 10th Annual Delta Visual Arts Show. Awards will be given in four categories: Pre-K and Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades, 3rd and 4th grades, and 5th and 6th grades. For complete guidelines and contest deadlines contact the Newport Economic Development Office at 870-523-1009.
The Annual “This is the Delta” Art Show for adults who are participating in the 10th Annual Delta Visual Arts Show will be held this year. Awards will be given in the following categories: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, pottery, mixed media, jewelry and woodworking. The winners, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category and a Best of Show will be announced by noon on February 24, 2018 in connection with the 10th Annual Delta Visual Arts Show. All entries will remain on display upstairs in the Newport Business Resource Center throughout the show.
This year the show will feature several downtown eating establishments. MJ’s Café on Third Street will be open for their wonderful lunch options. Frankie’s Place will be open on Front Street in the Brick Terrace Gardens Building. Several food trucks will be available during the show at various locations downtown. Convenient transportation from venue to venue will be provided by both the Art Train and the golf cart limo that will make regular rounds.
Sponsors for the show this year include the following: George Kell Motors, Representative Michael John Gray, Harris Ford, the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council, Merchants and Planters Bank, Newport Construction, Inc., Scott Wood Ram Truck Center, Unity Health Harris Medical Center and WMRC Medical Complex Newport.
The Blue Bridge Center for the Delta Arts project is a joint project of the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council, the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort (DRIVE), Entergy, Jackson County Council on Tourism, the City of Newport, the Newport Economic Development Commission, the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of local volunteers. Development of the show was facilitated by the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. Funding for advertising is supplied through the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council. Artists from last year’s show also donated pieces that were auctioned to raise funding for this year’s show. For more information feel free to call 870-523-1009 or email director@newportaredc.org.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.