Arts, Fine Crafts to be Exhibited at William Woods

First Place: A self-portrait in pastel by Stephen Eidson of Roach	Second Place: A watercolor by Brenda Beck Fisher of Hannibal

The exhibition of juried artwork featuring the Best of Missouri Hands artists will be on display at
William Woods University Aug. 14 through Sept. 14. "Celebrating Creativity" will be held in the
Mildred M. Cox Gallery, located in WWU’s Gladys Woods Kemper Center for the Arts.
 

The top three award winners in the show are: A self-portrait in pastel by Stephen Eidson of Roach
(1st place), a watercolor by Brenda Beck Fisher of Hannibal (2nd place) and jewelry collection by
Ellen Klamon of St. Louis (3rd place).

The Best of Missouri Hands was founded in 1989 as the Missouri Artisans Association, a nonprofit corporation "dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri's arts and artisans through education, interaction, and encouragement."

The exhibition at William Woods will include a cross-section of the current state of Missouri's arts

and fine crafts from members of Best of Missouri Hands. It will contain paintings and drawings,
photographs, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and mixed media.

"Celebrating Creativity" will be this year’s Natalie Collins Acker Memorial Exhibit, an annual event
named for a WWU alumna who was a generous supporter of the arts at William Woods.

Dion Dion, executive director of Art Saint Louis, juried the exhibit.

“As a Missouri artist and a director of a gallery/organization that focuses on regional artists, I was
very impressed by and proud of the work I viewed for this exhibition by fellow Missouri artists,”
Dion said. “Whether the work was functional, fine craft or fine art, the hands and the heart of
the artists were abundantly evident in the work offered for jurying.”

A “meet the artists” reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 14. The Cox Gallery is open to the
public, free of charge, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m.
Call 573-592-4245 for more information.

Third Place: Jewelry collection by Ellen Klamon of St. Louis