The annual Buffalo Festival and Paintout is returning October 5-7 at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. The outdoor event will feature an exhibition of paintings of Owensboro/Daviess County by several dozen visiting artists.
Artists may still enter the paintout by visiting the museum’s website for registration information. The entry fee is $35. The annual festival is presented by sponsor Swedish Match.
The festival will be highlighted by an exhibition and gala from 6-8 p.m. October 7, when more than $7,000 in awards will be presented for winning entries. The Gala will feature thematic cuisine and entertainment presented by the Bluegrass ensemble King’s Highway.
Admission to the gala is $50 per person, while Friends of the OMFA Foundation receive a $10 discount. Participating artists and a guest will be admitted free. For reservations, email [email protected] or call 270-685-3181.
The Buffalo theme for the Festival and Paintout was inspired by the two heroic-sized bronzes installed in the art museum’s Ryan Sculpture Park on Frederica Street between 9th and 10th streets. The bronzes were commissioned by the museum to create the Bronze Buffalo Trace designed to commemorate the origins of Owensboro.
Present-day Frederica Street began as a buffalo trace through which settlers made their way to the banks of the Ohio River to establish the settlement which ultimately became Owensboro.
The bronze buffalo sculptures “Into the Wind” and “Meadowlands Pair” were gifts to the museum and the community from Mary Lou Steele and her late husband, Robert Steele, as well as former Mayor Ron Payne and his wife Denise. The bronzes were created by noted American wildlife sculptor T. D. Kelsey of Texas.
The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art is open 12-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-4 p.m. on weekends. Admission is free but donations are encouraged of $3 for adults for $2 for children.
