Delivery Day, Wednesday July 25th had finally come. Forty-four members of the Parker Artists Guild (PAG) were delivering their art to The Wildlife Experience (TWE) Museum.

Five months earlier, at a mid-February meeting with Connie Mohrman, TWE Exhibits Manager, PAG members were offered an opportunity to arrange an exhibit of their art during August and September.

This is part of a community outreach policy by the museum to include local talent in their exhibits. Agreement was reached and planning by a PAG committee comprised of Joe McDaniel, Greg Sweatt, Jackie Campbell, Susan Merriman, Pam Hostetler, Patricia Rosales and Christine Giroux (referred to collectively as The Magnificent Seven) began.

The prospect of being able to exhibit their work at TWE created a high level of excitement among the 200 plus PAG membership. The theme for the exhibit was chosen as "A Celebration of Nature" to fit in with TWE's mission, to give artists a broad range of subject material, from wildlife, scenic, abstracts, plants, etc., and to provide an opportunity for multiple art disciplines to be included.

The fact that the work of John Fielder was, at the time, being displayed in the Habitat Hallway, where PAG's exhibit would be presented was not lost on anyone.

An exhibition at The Wildlife Experience is more than an ordinary art show. TWE is both a nationally recognized Art Gallery and a Natural History Museum. This is a rare combination. It is used as a special venue for education. Thousands of children and adults visit TWE each year.

Art on display there is used as a tool to teach about the natural world, especially for school tours. For example, children are taught 'animal adaptations' and are shown oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, photographs, sculptures in brass, stone and wood, videos, taxidermy, hands-on skin, skulls and other artifacts.

The high quality and variety of material displayed enhances the learning experience.

Given a limited amount of wall space, a decision was made to limit the width of wall art to a maximum 30 inches. 3-Dimensional art was encouraged, as TWE has the capability of displaying 3D art on covered pedestals. Of the 100 entries received, 66 pieces from 44 artists were accepted.

Of these, 16 are fused glass, ceramics, jewelry and painted tile pieces. There are 50 works of wall art in a variety of media, including, pen and ink, oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, photography and etching. Examples are shown here.

The PAG exhibit, A Celebration of Nature, will be open to the public from Saturday August 4 to Sunday September 30, 2007.

Although the art will not be listed for sale at the show, a gallery guide will be provided, giving contact information about each of the 44 artists. This information along with prices will also be provided on PAG's web site at www.parkerartistsguild.com.

The Parker Artist Guild welcomes new members in all art disciplines. Monthly meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. throughout the year except the two busy summer months of July and August. Check out their web site for more information.