FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Vicki Morese, Event Coordinator
Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival
Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival Seeks Entries for Rooster Call Juried Art Show
Moulton, Alabama – The Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival calls all artists to submit pieces for a juried art exhibition on the theme of roosters. Sponsored by Dr. Don Beach and hosted by the Lawrence County Arts Council, “Rooster Call” is held in conjunction with the eighth annual Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival set for April 13-15, 2012 in Moulton.
The jury panel will select one Best of Show artist, a second place, and a third place. The Best of Show recipient wins a $500 cash prize, a listing in the Rooster Hall of Fame, and the opportunity for the work to be featured in future promotions. Second place and third place will be awarded $300 and $200, respectively. The winning submission will be determined by creative vision, innovation, potential to engage an audience, and overall impression. All artistic mediums will be accepted, and along with roosters, artwork on the theme of hens, chicks and eggs are encouraged.
All artwork submitted will be on exhibit for public viewing at Art Inspirations of the Valley located at 552 Lawrence Street in Moulton from March 1 to April 30, 2012 and will be presented at the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival on April 13-15, 2012.
“Programs such as the Rooster Call exhibit provide an outlet for bringing established and emerging artists into our community for citizens, regardless of age or background, to experience something a little different,” said Dr. Beach. “Arts and cultural activities play a vital role in communities by enhancing the quality of life for citizens while bringing in visitors who contribute to the local economy, and for this reason, I find it important to support local art and cultural programs and am proud to be a part of the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival. Whether you have a deep appreciation for art or just simply curious as to the many different ways a rooster can be portrayed artistically, Rooster Call allows people of all ages to experience art in a fun manner.”
The exhibition is open to all emerging and established artists 18 years of age or older residing in the United States. All entries shall be original work produced by the artist within the past two years and may be marketed for sale at prices determined by the artist. The Lawrence County Arts Council will retain a 30% commission fee on any sale of art from the exhibition.
The jurors are Nancy Rhodes Harper and Rickie Higgins. Surrounded by paint and brushes in her father’s sign shop in a small town in the Ozark Mountains, Harper started painting at a very early age. She received a BA degree in Art Education from the University of Central Arkansas and worked in sign painting and as an interior designer while freelancing as an artist. She has studied with many of the finest artists in the world today, Quang Ho, Kim English, Ken Auster, Nancy Chaboun, Karin Jurick, Carol Marine, Anne Blair Brown, Elio Camacho, and The Cumberland Society Painters, and her work is collected in many states across America. She was the first artist named to the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival’s Rooster Hall of Fame as the winner of 2011 Rooster Call Juried Show. She and her husband reside in Huntsville, Ala.
Creativity, imagination, and passion are present in Higgins’ expansive portfolio. Pieces come together as he is guided to new opportunities through both imagery and medium to create spaces that are skewed vertically yet visibly believable. He paints in his home studio in Decatur, Ala. and his most recent awards include 2011 Panoply Poster Artist, People’s Choice and 3rd place Judge’s Choice in the 2011 Rooster Call Juried Show, 2010 Double Decker Juried Show Best in Show, and Honorable Mention in the 2010 Carnegie Embracing Art Exhibit.
Entry fee for up to two submissions is $25 and each additional entry is $5. The deadline for entries is February 13, 2012 and those selected will be notified beginning February 15, 2012. Shipped artwork is due February 23-25 and hand-delivered art is due February 28.
Artists renting vendor space are ineligible for the juried exhibition and will have an opportunity to win prizes and recognition through an open arts and crafts competition. Arts and crafts vendors interested in exhibiting can go to
www.alabamachickenandeggfestival.com and click on “Vendors” for more information and to download an application.
About the Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival
The Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival is an interactive agricultural experience offering old-fashioned fun, food vendors featuring chicken entrees prepared in a variety of ways, and live entertainment by popular regional bands and local favorites. The eighth annual event is scheduled for April 13-15, 2012 at the Lions Club Fairgrounds in Moulton, Alabama. Admission to the festival is $3 for adults and children 5 and under are admitted free.
Highlights include a chicken clucking contest, where the audience selects the winner; egg toss competition, a favorite among children; eating contests where contestants stuff their faces with chicken wings and hard boiled eggs; and the "Down on the Farm" area featuring agriculture exhibits, antique tractors, and southern folk life artists such as quilters, saddle makers, farriers, potters, blacksmith and basket and broom makers. Other activities include eating contests, an egg roulette competition, Motorcycle Chicken Run, and Little Chick Pageant.
Sponsors committed for the 2012 festival consist of Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Lawrence County Commission, Lawrence County Board of Education, Stovall Marks Insurance, Logan Pharmacy, Wal-Mart, Marshall Durbin, Alabama State Council on the Arts, CB&S Bank, International Paper, Bank Independent, Joe Wheeler EMC, Pepsi-Cola, Southern Printing, City of Moulton, Alabama Farmers Co-op, Lawrence Medical Center, The Burch Agency, Dr. Don Beach, Lewis Innovative Technologies, NHC Healthcare, Lawrence County Antique Tractor and Engine Club, Home Depot, Regions Bank, Jamie Hood Jewelers, Smith Poultry of Moulton, John’s Bar-B-Que, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Southern Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.
Education Partners are University of Alabama in Huntsville Engineering Department, Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University Poultry Science Department. Media sponsors include WAAY 31 TV, WALW 98.3, Valley Planet, Moulton Advertiser, 100.3 The River, WDRM 102.1, WTAK 106.1, Hot Stuff, WQAH 105.7, 103.1 WEUP, and Southern Family.
