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News Release

IWV Campus

Katrina Painting on Display

Ridgecrest, CA – May 2, 2006

Cerro Coso Community College is displaying the Katrina Painting in the Second Floor Art Gallery through May 18. The Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Desert Artist’s League (16 members) each volunteered to participate in creating a painting with sixteen pieces that each measures 5 ½ x 7 inches. The following is information supplied by the Desert Artist's League.

Desert Artists’ League, Katrina Painting

The Desert Artists’ League of Ridgecrest, CA has been in existence since 1957 and is preparing to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Our mission is to stimulate, motivate and enhance members’ skills and appreciation of creative art. Our membership consists of 51 artists whose skills cover the entire spectrum of the arts, from painting with acrylics, oils, and watercolors, drawing with colored pencils, pastels, ceramic pottery and sculpture, jewelry making, wood sculpture, fabric painting, and any other medium that is available to the artist at the time of their inspiration.

The Katrina Painting came into existence as a result of the overwhelming imagery that we were bombarded with during the initial disaster. As artists we all were painfully stricken by the depth of the disaster and the heartbreak we felt as onlookers. We couldn’t imagine actually living through something of that horrific magnitude.

Gradually, the numbness began to wear off and we began asking the question “What can we do to help?” In light of the extent of this tragedy it felt as if anything we did would have so little impact that it would be practically useless. But if everyone thought in those terms then we absolutely would be useless. Therefore, the question begged, what can we do to help, even if it is just a drop in the bucket? Buckets do eventually get filled to the brim with overflowing if enough drops accumulate.

The Katrina Painting is our drop in the bucket. We collected as much imagery as we could find at the time and created a collage. Sixteen of our members volunteered to participate in the project, so we cut the collage into 16 pieces that measured 5 1/2 x 7 inches. Their instructions were to reproduce the image onto an 11 x 14 canvas, paper, quilt, sculpture, whatever medium they chose to work with. The finished painting hangs before you. It is the result of each artist’s passion and concern for the victims of the hurricane.

Our idea is to display the painting in businesses and offices throughout Ridgecrest and any other community that would like to participate. Our prayer is that an incredibly compassionate and wealthy person, company, or corporation will purchase the painting for an outrageous amount of money. When this is accomplished, the entire proceeds will be donated to an art organization within our adopted city of Long Beach, Mississippi. We are hoping to donate it to the Long Beach High School art department and have formed a committee to determine where the money is most needed.

Paula Caudill
Vice President Programming
Desert Artists’ League
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Joann Handeland, Director of Facilities Development and Public Information (760) 384-6230

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Last updated May 03, 2006