Hopewell Valley News
Published on Friday, January 17
In September, the Hopewell Valley Arts Council formally launched its first initiative, the Stampede, which will pair artists of all ages and media with local sponsors to produce creatively decorated oxen.
In September, the Hopewell Valley Arts Council formally launched its first initiative, the Stampede, which will pair artists of all ages and media with local sponsors to produce creatively decorated oxen that will roam the Valley in August 2014. The culmination of this effort will be a gala auction in January 2015, where these works of art will be auctioned off in a community celebration of the arts.
Thanks to the generosity of five founding sponsors, Capital Health, Hopewell Valley Community Bank, Morehouse Engineering, Betty Wold Johnson and an anonymous donor, the Arts Council held several events last fall in local homes of interest and business venues, to court sponsors and call the Valley’s artists to the cause.
To date, the Arts Council has enjoyed a tremendous turnout, with over 60 artists registering to participate and with local businesses, organizations, and families committing to sponsor over 50 oxen. A stampede is under way!
The undecorated, “naked” oxen will begin arriving in the Valley next month, with the first oxen being delivered to each Hopewell Valley school, allowing students from elementary through high school to participate in this public arts initiative.
In late spring, the Arts Council will hold an event to team, or “yoke” each sponsor with a local artist. Artists will have through June to complete their work, and in late summer, herds of decorated oxen will roam throughout the Valley.
In March, the Arts Council will collaborate with the larger community to “crowd sponsor” an ox, and the Pennington Quality Market will generously donate a percentage of sales that day to sponsor another. Join the celebration!The mission of the Hopewell Valley Arts Council is to nurture a vibrant and involved local community through the arts. Its goal is to cultivate creative exploration and to showcase the Valley’s artists through events and activities that demonstrate artistic vision in the visual, performing, culinary and literary arts. By defining the arts in the most expansive terms, the Hopewell Valley Arts Council encourages everyone to participate in celebrating art in the everyday.
It’s not too late to participate, as either a Sponsor or an Artist. To learn more, visit www.hvartscouncil.org.