ROCKPORT ART FESTIVAL CANCELLED OVER COVID-19 CONCERNS

\nJuly 4-5 event will not be rescheduled this year\; July 2 auction to continue as planned \;
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\nROCKPORT\, Texas (June 26\, 2020) &mdash\; With the recent rise in COVID-19 cases throughout Texas\, the Rockport Center for the Arts Board of Directors and staff have made the decision to cancel this year&rsquo\;s Rockport Art Festival that was scheduled for July 4&ndash\;5.
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\n&ldquo\;Our staff worked diligently to modify the layout and procedures to make the Rockport Art Festival as safe as possible while retaining the artistic quality patrons have come to expect\,&rdquo\; said \;Luis Puró\;n\, executive director for Rockport Center for the Arts. &ldquo\;However\, in an abundance of caution\, we believe it is best to cancel the event for this year as a result of the steadily increasing number of COVID-19 cases throughout Texas. It was a very difficult decision\, but one that we felt was necessary given the circumstances.&rdquo\;
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\nSince its inaugural summer event in 1969\, the Rockport Art Festival has become one of the largest and most celebrated annual art events in the U.S. with more than 100 juried artists from all over the country participating each year.
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\nDespite the cancellation of the Festival itself\, the traditional Summer Art Auction\, serving as the Festival kickoff since 1993\, will go on as planned.
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\nNow in its 28^th \;year\, the Thursday\, July 2\, Summer Art Auction features works from 65 of the more than 100 artists who were participating in this year&rsquo\;s Rockport Art Festival\, including paintings\, sculptures\, jewelry and more. There will be a reservation-only\, in-person auction gathering of up to 100 guests&mdash\;reduced from the previously announced 130-guest limit&mdash\;at Estelle Stair Gallery in Rockport\, including a socially distanced cocktail reception beginning at 6 p.m. followed by the auction at 7 p.m.\, with individual tickets and VIP packages available. \;
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\nAlways the perfect event for art enthusiasts looking to expand for their personal collections\, an online element through \;liveauctioneers.com \;has been added this year to enable bidding from literally anywhere with the click of a button. The \;rockportartcenter/liveauctioneers.com \;link is already live\, providing a catalog preview of available works and advanced bidding.
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\n&ldquo\;The Rockport Art Festival is a one of our major annual fundraisers for Rockport Center for the Arts\, so losing the event is certainly a blow to our ongoing efforts in the community\,&rdquo\; said \;Puró\;n. &ldquo\;We encourage everyone to support the arts by attending the Summer Art Auction\, or by logging on from anywhere.
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\n&ldquo\;Included in the 65 items up for auction is the original painting by award-winning impressionist painter \;V&hellip\;.Vaughan used for this year&rsquo\;s Art Festival commemorative poster\, which makes it a bit more of a collector&rsquo\;s item given the circumstances. \;We will also make our event posters available for purchase through our website.&rdquo\;
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\nFor more information on the Rockport Center for the Arts\, call go online to \;rockportartcenter.com\, follow us on Facebook\, Instagram or call (361) 729-5519.
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\nAbout the Rockport Center for the Arts
\nRockport Center for the Arts is located at Estelle Stair Gallery\, 406 S. Austin St.\, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free. For more information call (361) 729-5519 or visit \;www.rockportartcenter.com \;or Facebook \;www.facebook.com/rockportartcenter/.
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