The grand finale of RCAS's 50th Anniversary year was celebrated at the Artists' Award Reception on May 15th at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. In addition to the winning artists and their friends and families, this gala event was attended by the RCAS President, Officers, Members, and thirteen RCAS Presidents Emeritus along with City Officials, including Mayor Paul Voelker, Assistant City Manager Shanna Sims-Bradish and Richardson Public Library librarian and RCAS liaison Ludmila Pospelova. There were more than 200 guests at this reception which featured a lavish buffet and a wine bar. Throughout the event we were entertained by the Paul Utay & Jazz After All band.
The Awards Ceremony was hosted by the 2014-2016 RCAS President, Pat Fekete; the incoming 2016-2017 President, Jones C. McConnell; the Regional Show Chairman, Linda Clary and the Co-Chairman, Denise Weeren.
Eighty works of art were selected for this show, from two hundred and thirty-three entries, by the show judge, Michael Holter, NWS, SWS, SWA. Nineteen cash prizes and eighteen merchandise prizes were awarded to thirty-seven winning artists. Pat Fekete presented a brief history of the Richardson Civic Art Society and introduced the honored guests. Mayor Paul Voelker delivered a congratulatory speech honoring the winning artists and thanking RCAS for its fifty years of artistic and cultural service to the City of Richardson and surrounding communities. He also thanked RCAS for the Best of Show works of art they have presented to the City every year for the past fifty years. Jones C. McConnell announced the awards while Pat Fekete and Linda Clary presented the winners with their certificates and cash and merchandise prizes.
The judge, Michael Holter, congratulated the artists and shared his thoughts about the excellent quality and variety of the works of art in the show. He acknowledged that the task of choosing winners from a selection of outstanding works of art was truly difficult. He thanked the Richardson Civic Art Society for inviting him to judge this year's show and offered his congratulations on 50 years of artistic endeavors. He explained that he approaches judging a show like this by evaluating the artist's use of the timeless principles of design and craftsmanship and by looking for good composition, color harmony, emotion, appropriate relationship to the subject, strong mastery of the tools and consistency of execution.
After the awards presentation, the evening was concluded with a large, delicious anniversary cake prepared by Divinidee Cakes and enjoyed by all.
A huge debt of gratitude goes out to the following volunteers who helped to make the exhibition and reception a spectacular success: our President, Pat Fekete; Chairpersons Linda Clary and Denise Weeren; graphic designer Beth Eschbach; intake volunteers Michael Archer, Claudia Caudill, Lari Howard, Jones C. McConnell, and John Cheney; and treasurer Carol Powell. Michael Archer and Claudia Caudill also volunteered their photography skills to capture the significant moments of this event. I would also like to thank Susan Powers who is the Art Gallery Coordinator for the Eisemann Center, and David Bower who did such a fantastic job of hanging the show. Many others participated in making this a very special evening. My sincere apologies if I have overlooked any of our members who generously contributed their time and talents in support of the Richardson Civic Art Society's 50th Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition and Anniversary Celebration.