Thursday, 24 September, 2009 9:47
by Tarah
For immediate release
Contact:
Karen Allen, Chimp Haven, (318) 402‐9008
Kay Morrison or Ginger Ellis, Occasional Wife (504 ) 302‐9893
New Orleans’ Occasional Wife Celebrates "Art For Arts Sake" With INSTINCT: The Art Of Chimpanzees
The Occasional Wife, New Orleans’ one‐stop shop for organizing your life, is turning its Magazine Street wall space into one of the most unusual art galleries in the city during Art For Art’s Sake on Saturday October 3rd, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Owners Kay Morrison and Ginger Ellis are hosting the show, "INSTINCT: The Art Of Chimpanzees." The exhibition, created by Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in northwest Louisiana, features the colorful paintings of eight chimpanzee artists—each with a distinctive style.
"People will be surprised at what they see," says Morrison. "The paintings have character. You can distinguish the work of each chimpanzee." "The purpose of the exhibition," explains Dr. Linda Brent, President and Director of Chimp Haven, "is to showcase the unique paintings of our chimpanzees and provide insights on chimpanzee cognition and creative expression. Also, the show gives us the opportunity to encourage people to explore the nature of art."
Professional staff from Chimp Haven will be on hand to talk about the artists. Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for chimpanzees retired from medical research or no longer wanted as pets or entertainers, provides a home to 128 chimpanzees. Each gets to choose how they spend their days. Not everyone wants to paint. Those represented at the show are some of the Sanctuary’s most enthusiastic painters.
INSTINCT began its national tour at the Barnwell Art and Garden Center in Shreveport in August. Plans are under way to take the show to a number of major cities over the next year. The exhibition is made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation.
The exhibition is free and open to the public.
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Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides a permanent sanctuary for chimpanzees no longer used for biomedical research, entertainment, or as pets. Located 25 miles southwest of Shreveport, LA., Chimp Haven opened its doors in April 2005. The sanctuary is now home to 128 retired chimpanzees. For more information, visit www.chimphaven.org.