“Awakened”
Curated by Alix Sloan, at AFA NYC, to benefit Adopt-A-Pet.com
Exhibition: September 20 through 29, 2012
Reception for the Artists: September 22nd, 5 to 8 pm

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. ~ Anatole France

AFA (Heidi Leigh & Nick Leone) and Sloan Fine Art (Alix Sloan) are pleased to present “Awakened,” an exhibition and fundraising event inspired by, and benefitting, the pet companions that brighten all of our lives. For this special ten-day exhibition, curator Alix Sloan has challenged over sixty artists to create works inspired by the powerful impact of animals in our lives and homes. A portion of the proceeds from every sale will be donated to Adopt-A-Pet.com in support of their mission to help find loving homes for homeless pets.

Participating artists, including several from Sloan Fine Art and AFA’s rosters, include:
Charles Addams, Jessicka Addams, Jennybird Alcantara, Nicole Alvarez, Nana An, Jean-Pierre Arboleda, Carrie Anne Baade, Rebekah Bogard, Mia Brownell, Tim Burton, Bill Carman, Bryan Cunningham, Jason D’Aquino, Michelle Doll, Peter Drake, Nicole Etienne, Tom Everhart, Eric Finzi, Marc Finzi, Erik Foss, Theodor Geisel, Kady Grant, Leontine Greenberg, Linda Griggs, Gris Grimly, Evan B. Harris, Jason Holley, Anthony Iacono, Kate Javens, Lisa Lebofsky, Travis Louie, Julia Marchand, Pierre Matter, Elizabeth McGrath, Daniel Merriam, Gabriela Mesa-Jonassen, Scott Musgrove, Kathie Olivas & Brandt Peters, Joshua Petker, Constantin Radu, Ransom & Mitchell, Kirk Reinert, Martha Rich, Paul Richard, Ron Richter, Chris Roberts-Antieu, Jean-Pierre Roy, Jonny Ruzzo, Isabel Samaras, Charles M. Schulz, Ryan Scully, Maurice Sendak, Heather Sherman, Nathan Skiles, Sally Sloan, Aaron Smith, Owen Smith, Nathan Spoor, Jonathan Viner, Melanie Vote, Lindsey Way, Casey Weldon, Eric White and Brad Woodfin.

In addition to the exhibition of original artwork, hard to find prints by Nicoletta Ceccoli, Tom Everhart, Shepard Fairey, Camille Rose Garcia, Daniel Merriam and Marion Peck will be available in a live auction, led by celebrity pet advocate Pia Salk, the night of the reception.

Alix Sloan is a curator, gallerist and writer with over twenty years experience in the arts, beginning as director of La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles in the early 90’s and most recently as Founder/Director of Sloan Fine Art Gallery in New York City. This exhibition holds a special place in Sloan’s heart as it also serves as a celebration of the completion of the novel “Pet Sitter: A Jenna Stack Mystery,” a labor of love co-authored with writer Amy Eyrie.

Sloan is eternally grateful to AFA owners Heidi Leigh and Nick Leone for lending their beautiful 4,000 square foot space and thirty years experience mounting large-scale exhibitions and hosting benefits for organizations such as the American Breast Cancer Foundation and The Jim Henson Foundation

The cocktail reception for “Awakened” is Saturday, September 22nd from 5 to 8pm. Because a large turnout is expected, RSVP is requested to rsvp@afanyc.com.

An online collector preview of all works will be available in early September and a limited number of proxy bidders are available for the print auction. Email alix@sloanfineart.com to request the preview link or make arrangements for a proxy bidder.

AFA is located at 54 Greene Street (corner of Broome Street), in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 10am – 7pm and Sundays 11am – 6pm. To request more information about the exhibition contact Heidi Leigh at heidi@afanyc.com or Alix Sloan at alix@sloanfineart.com. For more information about Adopt-A-Pet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website that helps shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, pet rescue groups, and pet adoption agencies advertise their homeless pets to adopters for free, go to adoptapet.com or visit Adopt-A-Pet.com on Facebook.

Image left: Rebekah Bogard, “Hope,” earthenware, underglaze, glaze, oil paint, 24” x 18” x 17”
Image right: Ransom & Mitchell, "Civilized Extraction," c print on archival paper, ed of 10, 14" x 24"