Sit. Stay. Art! to raise funds for area animal shelter
Staff Report | May 25, 2012
“Porkchop” inspired this mixed media by artist Velvet Rogers titled “Princess Porkchop” Photos provided.
Individual Artists of Oklahoma will host its third annual Sit. Stay. Art! event, an art show and sale benefiting homeless pets, June 2 at the IAO gallery on Film Row in downtown Oklahoma City. The event is presented by Marc Heitz Chevrolet.
All proceeds will benefit Pets & People Humane Society in Yukon. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
Sit. Stay. Art! pairs artists with homeless pets to help raise awareness and funding for local humane and rescue organizations. Artists are called to select a pet awaiting adoption as the inspiration for their work. The artwork is then displayed and sold at the event along with a placard featuring the pet’s photo and characteristics or background.
Long-time Sit. Stay. Art! advocates and animal lovers Dara Wanzer, attorney with McAfee & Taft, and Jim Roth, attorney with Phillips Murrah, are supporting this year’s event as honorary co-chairs.
Attendees will enjoy complimentary food donated by some of the city’s best restaurants and a cash bar. Better still, the event is dog friendly and all are invited to bring their own pets to accompany them.
Sit. Stay. Art! also is using this year’s event to bring attention to the little-known “black dog syndrome.” The hallmark of this syndrome is the low adoption and high euthanasia rate of black dogs in shelters.
While one of the top goals for the event is for more people to decide to adopt pets, adoption is not feasible for every household.
“There are so many people who would like to help homeless pets but feel that they can’t because they can’t adopt one, “ said honorary co-chair and McAfee & Taft attorney Dara Wanzer, “One of the reasons I love and support Sit. Stay. Art! is that you don’t have to adopt a pet to help – you can buy a painting of a pet instead.”
This year Sit. Stay. Art! will feature a Picstories Flipbook Booth attendees and their pets or friends can have 30 seconds of pictures taken and printed into a flippable mini book.
For more information about Sit. Stay. Art! or to purchase tickets for the event, visit www.sitstayart.org. For more information about the event’s beneficiary, Pets and People Humane Society, visit www.petsandpeople.com.