Reception for “A Tribute to Peninsula State Park” at Edgewood Orchard Galleries

“The Peninsula Dash” by Gretchen Will Mayo.

Edgewood Orchard Galleries will be hosting a Memorial Day Weekend Reception on Saturday, May 23 from 4 – 7 pm to introduce the artists and artwork included in the current group exhibit titled “A Tribute to Peninsula State Park.” Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome. Artists will be introduced at 5 pm in the gallery courtyard, followed by brief remarks about the artwork in the show and Peninsula State Park’s Centennial Celebration.

Artwork featured in the Peninsula State Park show is the result of dozens of the artists represented by Edgewood Orchard Galleries spending many hours exploring Peninsula State Park last spring, summer and fall to capture scenes from the park that inspired them.

“Memory of Weborg’s Marsh” by Robert Ekholm.

An added attraction for visitors to Edgewood Orchard Galleries during the May 23 reception will be an opportunity to meet Peninsula State Park volunteers and well-known local authors Frances Burton and Aurelia Stamp. They will be available from 4 – 7 pm to answer questions about the park and will have Peninsula State Park maps and other park and Centennial Celebration information available for visitors to take with them.

While the first floor of the main gallery will be filled with Peninsula State Park-inspired artwork, the second floor of the main gallery will feature new artwork from many of the over 150 artists that Edgewood Orchard Galleries represents. The exhibit includes a diverse and beautiful collection of pieces from artists that have been longtime gallery favorites, as well as artists new to the gallery for the 2009 season.

Artwork included in the gallery’s 40th anniversary benefit cookbook, “An Artist’s Food for the Soul,” will be featured in the Little Gallery, an intimate space adjacent to the gallery’s main building. The gallery’s first cookbook, “An Artist’s Food for Thought,” raised over $75,000 for hunger-related programs, and proceeds from this second book, due out at the end of June, will be donated to organizations and programs benefitting children.

“Evening Sail” by Wendy Chaney.

On the grounds surrounding the gallery buildings and courtyard, visitors will discover that Edgewood Orchard’s outdoor sculpture garden has also expanded since the gallery closed last fall. The gallery’s sculpture garden will continue to feature a diverse selection of outdoor sculptures in a variety of price ranges.

Edgewood Orchard Galleries is located at 4140 Peninsula Players Road, 1 block east of Hwy. 42 midway between Egg Harbor and Fish Creek. For more information, call 920.868.3579, email [email protected], or visit http://www.edgewoodorchard.com.