Thanksgiving has come and gone, and December has River Oaks in full-blown Christmas mode. It always starts with the Annual Porch Sale, when shoppers and art lovers congregate at River Oaks for a busy day of shopping, demonstrations, great fun and, again this year, Mark Rosenthal’s famous chili. On Saturday, December 5th, from 9:00am to 3:00pm, River Oaks will be packed with hundreds of creative gifts for the holiday season. Pottery, paintings, jewelry, drawings, sculptures, miniatures…it can all be found at River Oaks’ Annual Porch Sale. Remember, while the sale is held on December 5th, original works of art and sales continue for the month of December and the entire year!
Brand new this year is the City of Alexandria’s AlexWinterFete event, which is happening Downtown from December 3rd through December 5th. As one of Alexandria’s anchoring arts organizations, we are of course excited to be part of the festivities with our Friday Exhibit Opening along with the Saturday Porch Sale. Due to the ongoing festivities, we are asking those starting their Fete activities at River Oaks to approach via St. James Street.
The Exhibit Openings on Friday evening will feature our Annual Miniature Show featuring Local, Regional and Resident Artists in the Bolton-Davis Gallery. This highly anticipated display lets artists condense their creativity into a small space (25″x25″), making for often incredibly detailed masterpieces. The Galerie des Amis will feature Barry Owen with an exhibit entitled “Paint Paper and Pieces” while the Stokes-Harris Gallery features recent works from Pecan Grove & The ARC Rapides Training Centers under the instruction of Carole Steele. The exhibitions are sponsored by: Jena Choctaw Pines Casino, The RoyOMartin Foundation, LA Decentralized Arts Fund, LA Division of the Arts, Central Louisiana Ambulatory Surgical Hospital and the David Stock Assistance Fund. Live music will be provided by Chris Thacker.
December is, of course, also the time when River Oaks begins preparations for its’ annual membership drive. Many of our members have a long history of supporting River Oaks, some having been members for over 20 years. Every year, we are reminded that River Oaks is in existence and able to provide so much to our artists and the community because of our members. It is your contribution to our cause that allows us to serve over 20,000 visitors annually, provide studio space for over 40 working artists, and offer quality programming, both in exhibits and education, for so many.
If you have supported River Oaks in the past, we would like to thank you. If you decide to become a member this year, we welcome you to the family with open arms. Please rest assured that every penny of your membership fee will be put to the best use in spreading art throughout Central Louisiana and furthering the creativity of hundreds, if not thousands. Please look for the membership flyer and annual exhibit schedule in the mail at the beginning of January.
Until then, from the board, staff and the artists here at River Oaks, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a great start for 2016!
