The Bourbon County Arts Council will present its 32nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibit from February 29th through March 9th, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, on the Campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.

The Arts Council will host the Chamber Coffee at 8:00 am on Thursday, February 29th, at the Ellis Center.

The Exhibit will be open to the public beginning Thursday, February 29th through Saturday, March 9th, on weekdays from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and on Saturdays, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  A reception to honor this year’s Juror and artists will be held on Thursday the 29th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; the public is invited to attend and enjoy the opportunity to meet and visit with them about the art.

Artists will have their work on display and for sale in this multi-media exhibit, in categories including Ceramics, Drawing & Graphics, Fiber Arts, Glasswork, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Pastel, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Watercolor.

A “themed” category was added to the Exhibit, with this year’s theme being “Art of Everyday Life”.

An artist may create a piece in any of the above categories, in relation to the theme.

This year, artists from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma will participate in the Fine Art Exhibit.

Local artists entered include Kathryn Allen, Maggie Brenner, Rylee Coulter, Jewel Endicott, Steve Floyd, Kate Freeman, Lucy Gladbach, Bobbi Kemna, Millie Karleskint, Julie Kibble, Steve Kibble, Terry Koester, Connie Neil, Kadra Nevitt, Eri Popp, Susan Porter, Elisabeth Ross, Kaitlynn Sampson, and Addison Smith.

Cash prizes awarded for category winners are given by the Bourbon County Arts Council in memory of E.C. Gordon, and by the generous sponsorship from these local businesses:  the Artificers, Buerge Art Studio, Citizens Bank, City State Bank, Edward Jones-Jamie Armstrong ,  H&H Realty, Landmark Bank, Lyons Realty, Mid-Continental Restoration, Osage Timber LLC, State Farm Insurance, Union State Bank, and Ward Kraft.

Bill Wilson will serve as this year’s Juror. He is a retired art educator with more than forty years of experience encompassing early elementary through college-level instruction. Most recently having taught visual art for Marmaton Valley, he also spent some time teaching at Allen County Community College. Mr. Wilson states “as an artist, I choose to work in a wide range of media that will allow me to best express my thoughts and ideas”.  He is currently exploring metal forging techniques and creating primitive-fired ceramic jewelry.

There is no admission charge for this event, and all are encouraged to come and enjoy an exciting collection of original artwork.