The Catholic Foundation in Dallas calls upon North Texas artists to partake in second-annual art competition

by PegNews wire

DALLAS — The Catholic Foundation has announced a call for entries to professional North Texas artists for the second annual Catholic Foundation Plaza Artists Competition. The deadline for entries is 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17.

The artist whose work is chosen will receive a $1,000 stipend, and the winning work will be displayed in The Catholic Foundation Plaza for approximately one year. Four runners-up will receive $250 each. The winners will be announced in October.

The Catholic Foundation Plaza is located across from the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center at the corner of Crockett and Flora Streets on the grounds of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Dallas Arts District. The 3,900-square-foot public space was dedicated in October 2006 and currently displays last year’s winning work, “Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art” by Marty Ray of Dallas, on a concrete Art Wall 28 feet long and 9 feet high.

“The Catholic Foundation created the Plaza as a gift to the people of Dallas, a public oasis,” said Edwin M. Schaffler, president and chief executive officer of The Catholic Foundation. “The work of art displayed at the Catholic Foundation Plaza was an integral part of our vision. As the Plaza sits in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the artwork is intended to draw people into the space for an overall experience of art, nature and relaxation in the middle of downtown Dallas.”

Professional artists living in the North Texas area are invited to submit proposal designs for consideration to be transferred to a vinyl-type surface which will be installed on the Art Wall. The work must be in keeping with the location of the Plaza on the Cathedral grounds but does not require a religious theme.

The Request for Proposal and additional competition details can be found at www.catholicfoundation.com.

The winning work will be selected by a panel of highly respected members of the local arts community. The Selection Committee will include one representative from The Catholic Foundation and one representative from the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Other members of the committee are drawn from the arts community. The committee is comprised of Cindy M. Gummer, owner of The Enchanted Galleries; Katherine C. Berg, president, Interprise; Katherine Wagner, former director of the Dallas Visual Arts Center and professor of art at Richland Community College; Patricia B. Meadows, senior curator of the Hall Collection; David C. Hickman, sculptor; and Gary Skotnicki of Architexas, the architectural firm and designer of the Plaza.

Chartered in 1955, The Catholic Foundation was founded by a group of dedicated Catholic laymen with a vision that extended far beyond the charitable needs of the moment. For over 50 years, this independent, nonprofit corporation has dedicated its resources to compassionate charitable giving through grants provided by benefactors through its many planned giving programs. The Foundation has been able to provide approximately $20 million through hundreds of grants to various religious, educational and charitable organizations within the Diocese of Dallas during its 50 plus years of existence. In addition, donor-advised funds maintained at the Foundation have accounted for many more grants amounting to millions of dollars over the years.

Source: The Catholic Foundation