Added Pop-Up Events Offer Local Crafts Works
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) will feature art from the natural world of plant during the fall Gallery night Sept. 8 from 4 to 9 p.m., the organization has announced.
Featured will be botanical sculpture by Trailer McQuilkin, botanical paintings by Ann Ekstrom and Symbiosis by Erika Duque.
BRIT will also be hosting two pop-up events, a pop-up exhibit by the Fort Worth Art Collective and a pop-up artisan market featuring the work of a variety of talented local craftspeople.
“People think of museums and restaurants when they think of this event,” Laura Venhaus, BRIT director of libraries and public engagement, said in a news release.
“But this evening is so much more than that. It’s about the artists and the unique galleries that exist in our community. We love being part of this event and we think that our focus on plants and botanical art adds something unique to the mix. Plus, our pop-up events with local Fort Worth artists add special interest,” she said.
McQuilkin’s website (trailermcquilkin.com) says that he began experimenting with creating metal wildflower sculpture in 1969, working with sheet copper, copper wire, metal primer, oil paints and natural materials in his work. His techniques include cutting, soldering, incising, and painting.
Ekstrom’s website (annekstromstudio.blogspot.com) says the Fort Worth painter’s interests range from printmaking to watercolor painting to large-scale oils. Her 72-foot painting Hints of a Life is permanently installed at Tarrant County College’s Southeast Campus. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from Texas Christian University and also studied at the University of Texas at Austin and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
Duque also is a Fort Worth artist and studied painting in the master of fine arts program at TCU. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. She has been featured in solo and group shows throughout Dallas and Fort Worth, BRIT said.
For the past several years BRIT has participated in the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association Gallery Night, an event designed to highlight the unique cultural richness of the visual arts community in Fort Worth.
Gallery Night is free and open to the public.
The Botanical Research Institute of Texas is a nonprofit, international research and education organization that collects and safeguards plant specimens, studies and protects living plants, and teaches about the importance of conservation and biodiversity to the world.
brit.org
– FWBP Staff