FAIRVIEW - “Way out here in this little Western Oklahoma town, we need art.”
That is why Linda Rous has taken on the task of chairing the 31st annual Fairview Show of the Arts, which is set for this Saturday.
“I’m an artist and I feel that without the arts, we are not a society. The arts define us as a civilization,” she said.
The problem, though, Rous said is that “art is disappearing from our schools and our society.”
To ensure that fine arts don’t disappear from Northwest Oklahoma the Fairview Chamber of Commerce Women’s Committee has sponsored an art show and competition every year since 1978.
The tradition continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Major County Fairgrounds, when the public is invited to view the work of 35 artists from across the state and the region.
“We’re very selective on who comes to our show,” said Esther Wymer, who chaired the art show for the first 30 years and remains involved in its organization. “They’re all outstanding artists in their own right.”
With “a good variety” of artwork to be presented from oil paintings to crafts like pottery and jewelry, “there is something for everyone,” Rous said.
This year’s show will feature four artist demonstrations, she said, including a presentation from LaVern Scott, of Enid, who paints with Oklahoma dirt and readings by “cowboy author” Jim Etter, of Bethany.
