The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) is ready to celebrate its 42nd anniversary and fill the streets of downtown Charleston, South Carolina with animal lovers of all stripes. Once again, SEWE will program a fine art gallery and an exhibition of artisans and craftsmen alongside its popular demonstrations of dogs and birds of prey in action, plus lively displays by conservation organizations and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.
Dates: February 16-18, 2024
Website: sewe.com
All of these activities highlight the urgent need to protect wildlife and preserve our natural resources. The art exhibition features more than 90 painters and sculptors — both established and emerging. The event usually draws at least 50,000 people every year.
This year’s featured artist is Kathleen Dunphy, who is based in Northern California. Illustrated here, her painting “Family Outing” will be visible across town on the festival’s official poster. The original work will be on display at the Gallery by SEWE, then auctioned during the VIP gala and sale on February 15.
“Family Outing” portrays a group of Canada geese on a tranquil lake near Dunphy’s home, where she frequently paints outdoors. For her, these birds symbolize the changing of seasons and the promise of warmer days as they migrate north in their distinctive “V” formation. Dunphy recalls, “As I was setting up my easel one morning, this pair of proud parents floated past with their awkward, downy goslings in tow. I was captivated by the glimmer of light on their feathers and the gentle interactions between the family members as they navigated the lake together. It was just another mom and dad taking the kids on a family outing, a different species in a parallel universe to ours.”
This past August, SEWE opened its Gallery by SEWE in The Shops at Charleston Place downtown; the space is a year-round continuation of the festival’s popular fine art venue, and is also home to a program of artist residencies.
View more fine art auctions and sales here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
