Month: March 2012

The Sears Art Invitational is a collection of prized paintings and sculptures for sale. This year’s invitational brought together 135 artists and their 269 pieces.
 

“These artists go through a selection process. They have to apply. Then there’s a committee that looks at them and they decide if that artist will be invited. If they’re invited then they can send two pieces to the invitational,” said Curator Kathy Cieslewicz.

 

Fine art such as these pieces obviously takes a lot of time and patience to produce, but when visitors from as far as Maine see your work the many hours pay off.

 

“It’s an absolutely mind-boggling show. It’s beautiful. This is really a wonderful experience,” said invitational spectator Josephine Bright.

 

Another visitor of the show, Jake Hicks stated, “It’s amazing. I wish I had talent like most of these people. I’m speechless.”

 

One of the main goals of the invitational is to get the community and students more involved in the value of art.

 

“Here at Dixie State College we’re very lucky that we have a beautiful and sophisticated gallery that shows off the art so beautifully. So, it’s an educational opportunity for our students and our community to get to see good art,” stated Cieslewicz.

 

With hundreds of pieces on display every year, and decades of tradition, the Sears Art Invitational showcases up-and-coming talent in a unique way.

 

Cieslewicz says she hopes to see many more people at next year’s invitational.

 

On this week’s show, it’s movie time as we discuss The Hunger Games and John Carter. We also take a ride with the Blue Angels and look ahead at events in the calendar for the week. How can you go wrong?

Classic and modern jets roared overhead as Thunder Over Utah took place at the St. George Municipal Airport.

St. George welcomed the most elite aviation acrobatic team, the Blue Angels, for their first performance in Utah last weekend. The team is known world wide for its crisp maneuvers, difficult flight patterns, and impressive aircraft.

Spectators at Thunder Over Utah not only got to witness the Blue Angels, but a particularly special demonstration of the most lethal jet in the world, the F22 Raptor that can go from 70 to 700 miles per hour in less than one minute. 

“We are excited to have this and welcome people to our new facility and be able to see such good and great performances that you have to travel long distances to see,” St. George Mayor Dan McArthur exclaimed.

Students share their photos from Spring Break 2012.

St. George is not only a beautiful and bountiful city, but a caring one too. Dixie Care and Share provides love, safety, and a second chance for many members of the community.

“The real impact is when you’re able to help someone who has fallen through. They come in here and we provide stability for them. Then they are able to go back out on their own,” said Jae Maxfield, the executive director of Dixie Care and Share.

Like a lot of organizations hurting for funding, last winter the charity was close to losing it all. That is, until group of musicians helped out in a big way.

“We had a CD program, the Christmas CD program, which was very successful. Ten to twelve artists put together a CD that was then sold through various outlets in the community for ten dollars a piece, as a fundraiser for Dixie Care and Share,” Maxfield explained. 

Now that the charity is stable, they’re growing in capacity and looking toward a bright future.

“It’s running fine now. It’s going as good as I’ve ever seen it,” stated Robert Blair, a three year volunteer for Dixie Care and Share. 

The shelter can hold up to 54 people overnight, but the charity’s executive director says the Dixie Care and Share needs lasting support in order to assist others down on their luck.

“We are pretty much full all the time. We really need to get into a more secure location and then be able to expand our shelter operation. We also need to update.” 

Whether donating money, food, or clothes, workers say anything you can give makes a difference.

“The public’s being made more aware of the needs of the shelter,” said Joseph Tagliarino, charity worker of two years.

Staff members at Dixie Care and Share know what it’s like to struggle, get back on your feet, and have high hopes for future success. Knowing this, they can look forward to a fresh start, while making strides towards a prosperous future and help others do the same.

Dixie Care and Share will continue to grow and help support more people in the community.

On this week’s State of the Storm, we’ll tell you why tax day may mean big breaks at Dixie State College, a St. George woman celebrates her 108th birthday, and more! Don’t miss this week’s show.