Art and the Animal
Presented November 29, 2002 through January 19, 2003

Sponsored by Diebold and The Repository

"Muskox" by Charles Allmond

A healthy variety of furred, finned and feathered subjects can be enjoyed in "Art and the Animal," from The Society of Animal Artists - - - from a herd of elephants fording a river to a resting golden retriever. Some animals receive vastly different treatments in the hands of different artists. For example, Walt Matia's bronze of a red-tailed fox depicts the fox keenly surveying its surroundings for prey, while "Ambush," a painting by Canadian Alan Sakhavarz, takes the scene a step further, with the fox seen in hot pursuit of its next meal. From insect larvae and Monarch butterflies to a cautious herd of cape buffalo, "Art and the Animal" offers animal magnetism at its best.

On August 29, 2002, awards were given to members of the Society of Animal Artists at the world premier of the exhibit, held at The Wildlife Experience in Denver, Colorado:

Awards of Excellence

Charles Allmond - "Joie de Vivre"
Carl Brenders - "Trick or Treat"
Kenneth Bunn - "Vantage Point"
Julie Chapman - "Bare Naked Lady"
Simon Combes - "Drought, Dust and Danger"
Matthew Hillier - "Into the Light"
Tony Pridham - "Bobwhites Sunning"
John Seerey-Lester - "Mara River Horse"
Daniel Smith - "River Horse"
Morten Solberg - "Elk on the Yellowstone"

LISKIN Representational Painting Award:
Mark Susinno - "The Interloper"

LISKIN Representational Sculpture Award:
Kenneth Bunn - "Vantage Point"

MEISELMAN Realistic Painting executed in an Academic Manner Award:
Al Barnes - "Whoopers"

MEISELMAN Realistic Sculpture executed in an Academic Manner Award:
Kent Ullberg - "Solitude"

MILLER Interpretive Sculpture Award:
Steve Kestrel - "La Luna"

BOTT Creative Excellence Award (Painting or Sculpture):
John Seerey-Lester - "Mara River Horse"

HALLER Award for Sculpture:
Leo Osborne - "Expecting to Fly"

Bott-Borghi-Bransom Legacy Award
"Rise and Shine" -- Marilyn Newmakr

The Society presented its second Bott-Borghi-Bransom Legacy Award to sculptor Marilyn Newmark. The award was instituted in 2001 to honor long-standing members who have made significant contributions in the field of animal art and to the Society itself. Marilyn Newmark joins Robert Kuhn, the award's inaugural recipient.

The Society of Animal Artists, headquartered at the historic Salmagundi Art Club on Fifth Avenue in New York, is comprised of leading artists from around the world. The mission of the Society is to promote excellence in the portrayal of animals, domestic and/or wild, in art. Since its founding in 1960, the Society has established new standards of artistic excellence, helping animal art to achieve a place of honor within the field of fine art.