Art Battle!! Art Battle?? What is an Art Battle?!? That’s exactly what Bob Barrow and his wife, Debbie, drove to Dallas to find out. What they found was an exciting international painting event and competition. By the end of the night they agreed – Wichita Falls would be a great place for an Art Battle. They brought it home and it’s happening! And the organization to sponsor this fun and exciting event is the Wichita Falls Art Association (WFAA).
70 years ago a group of women artists got together at the Women’s Forum and decided to meet periodically and promote the arts in Wichita Falls. They formed what is now called the WFAA. As they celebrate their 70th anniversary and make plans for a year-long celebration the WFAA is excited to bring Art Battle to the citizens of our region.
So what can you expect at an Art Battle? Twelve artists painting in three rounds of competition. In the first round, six artists have twenty minutes to paint whatever they choose; the audience members vote and select the top two winners. In Round Two another group of six artists do the same. The four winners from the first two rounds move to the third round, where they have thirty minutes to paint their final painting. Again, people in attendance choose the winner. To add to the fun, all of the paintings are sold through a silent auction.
So when does this happen you ask? The first event will be June 22 at The Warehouse, 1401 Lamar. In downtown Wichita Falls. The doors open at 5:00 p.m. with the Battles beginning at 6:00 p.m. Food at the event is available from Stone Oven Pizza and a cash bar will also be available.
A second Art Battle Wichita Falls is scheduled for August 17 and the final event for the year will be November 9, when we will bring back the two advancing artists from June and August to compete against ten more artists. From this final round we will crown our city winner and send them off to Dallas in January of 2020 to participate in the regional tournament. The advancing artist from the regional tournament will advance to Nationals with the possibility of advancing to the Art Battle International competition.
We need your support in two ways:
Artists – Enter for a battle! There is no cost for entering and, if selected, all paintings will be in a silent auction and the artist will receive 50% of the auctioned price. All canvasses for the event will be provided by Fredrix Canvas and all paint (acrylic) will be provided by Art Battle. Plus, all artists are entered into a database that will make them eligible to be invited to any other Art Battle. To enter, go to Artbattle.com.
Everyone Else – Come and join us! This will be a fun, festive event with great music, lights by Mayfield Events, food, and drink, all while advancing art awareness. Buy your tickets today on Eventbrite. The Early bird price is $15 through June 16. After that, tickets will be $20. This event is for people aged 16 and up.
WFAA is proud to be able to put our city on the Art Battle map where Wichita Falls will be seen on various social media throughout the US and internationally. This is an exciting time for Wichita Falls development and for the artistic community.
And to think, it all started 70 years ago with a small group of artists at the Women’s Forum.
For more information, contact Bob Barrow, [email protected]
