Congratulations to NSG member Craig Campbell whose American Liberty Gold coin that he sculpted for the US Mint won an international award: "Gold Coin of the Year"!!! We love seeing Craig's work (big and small) getting recognition.

Craig Campbell sculpted the Obverse (pictured here), designed by Beth Zaiken, and the Reverse was designed by Richard Masters, sculpted by Phebe Hemphill.

Read about the Coin of the Year awards here
Order one from the US Mint here

​"The 2021 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin is the fifth coin in the American Liberty series. The obverse (heads) features Liberty as a wild American Mustang horse, bucking off a western style saddle. It evokes the throwing off of the yoke of British rule during the American Revolution. The horse is centered on a rising sun. The reverse (tails) depicts a close-up view of an eagle with an open beak."

The family has requested we share this event with the artworld, please attend if you are able.
​John will be speaking on behalf of the National Sculptors' Guild and Columbine Gallery.  
​
Celebration of Life for Carol Gold
January 28, 2023, 11 a.m. at the Pavilion in Fairfax, California
142 Bolinas Road, Fairfax CA 94930

We are so pleased to share the coverage on the philanthropic efforts of the Colorado Governor's Art Show in Loveland's Reporter-Herald. This has been a passion project for Columbine's John Kinkade since 2015; and the increased funds and awareness raised for the TEF Resiliency Fund has been a personal highlight.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022
HOMELESS HELP
Governor's Art Show nets big donation for unhoused youths
TEF's Resiliency Fund gets boost
By Will Costello
wcostello@prairiemountainmedia.com
​
Proceeds from the Governor's Art Show funded a $28,230 donation to the Thompson Education Foundation's Resiliency Fund for Unhoused Youth, a program that provides help to the students in the Thompson School District that are unhoused.

The Resiliency Fund, which has existed for around a decade, provides help to unhoused students, many of whom are underage and without parents or a legal guardian, in the form of gift cards to pay for groceries and gas, or paying for car repairs or new tires so that students can actually get to school.

"There are a whole variety of supports that other agencies can't provide," said Kim Akeley-Charron, executive director of TEF. This, she explained, is because many of the students the fund helps are both unaccompanied and under 18. The typical services that help minors in financial trouble are administered through parents or guardians, so children without them sometimes fall through the cracks.

An upcoming program operated by the Resiliency Fund will install "resource closets" in all the high schools across the district that will contain necessities like toothpaste and other hygiene items. It also helps graduating seniors afford caps and gowns for graduation ceremonies, and provides scholarships to some of those who are pursuing post-secondary education.

The Governor's Art Show, an annual tradition held in Loveland for decades, has funded the Resiliency Fund for Unhoused Youth for the last six years, said John Kinkade, board member for the Governor's Art Show and one of the main planners of the event. Prior to that, proceeds went to the Loveland and Thompson Valley Rotary Clubs, which jointly put on the event, and would then be spent on philanthropic causes of those organizations choosing.

Then Kinkade, who also serves on the Thompson Valley Rotary Committee that selects art scholarship recipients, encountered a young scholarship applicant who presented a portfolio that struck him. "It was really dark, really severe," he remembered. A fellow committee member asked about the nature of the student's work, and she described a series of harrowing life experiences that culminated in becoming unhoused.

Kinkade, moved, reached out to his friend, Akeley-Charron, to inquire further. "That just kind of blew me away," he said. Akeley-Charron told him that in addition to the young student Kinkade had encountered, there were hundreds more across the district who had similar experiences. He then insisted that in addition to funding the two Rotary Clubs' philanthropic efforts, one-third of the proceeds from the Governor's Art Show be earmarked for the Resiliency Fund.

The show has been donating to the fund ever since, totaling over $100,000 since 2016, Akeley-Charron said when the donation was announced. 

Kinkade, who volunteered the equivalent of six 40-hour workweeks preparing for this year's show, said the program is the primary reason he's still involved with the show. Both Kinkade and Akeley-Charron said that it was rewarding work, and that the recipients, many of whom face challenges unthinkable even to adults, are deserving. "We called it the Resiliency Fund, and that's exactly what these kids show," Akeley-Charron said. "Resiliency, every day."

All contents Copyright © 2022 Daily Reporter-Herald. All rights reserved. 

Below are some photos from past year's Governor's Art Show galas and events from our archives.

Art Appreciators, We are celebrating our 30th year of connecting people with art. Thank you for your support and making art a priority in your life. You're our kind of people!

Ready to add more to your collection? Check out what our amazing artists have created in our store.

#ColumbineGallery #FineArt #ThirtiethAnniversary #Celebrating30Years #FeedYourCreativeSpirit #LiveWithART #BuyOriginal #ShopOnline #Painting #Sculpture #HomeDecor #BeautifulSpace

We are grieving the loss of a great friend, conservationist and human being. Kim Crumbo, a former Navy SEAL and retired National Park Service ranger, has been a close friend to National Sculptors' Guild sculptor Denny Haskew since high-school, and as a result became a dear friend to many more of us in the gallery and Guild.

His disappearance in Yellowstone last month has been difficult to face. Kim’s words shared to a fellow conservationist ring true to us, and we are certain they shall serve to inspire next generations to take care of the planet as Kim always hoped.

Please read this tribute by Camilla Fox,
https://rewilding.org/honoring-kim-crumbo/

And check out the following to learn more about Kim Crumbo and his efforts with Rewilding Institute…
https://rewilding.org/kim-crumbo/

Backstory:
“In mid-September, rangers began searching for 74-year-old Kim Crumbo of Ogden and his brother, 67-year-old Mark O’Neill of Chimacum, Washington, after the pair was reported missing. Crumbo and O’Neill, National Park Service retirees, had been on a four-night backcountry trip to Shoshone Lake.

Park crews found a vacant campsite with gear on the south side of Shoshone Lake. A canoe, paddle, personal floatation device, and other personal belongings were located on the east shore of the lake. During the morning of Monday, Sept. 20, Yellowstone officials say the body of O’Neill was found along the east shore of Shoshone Lake.

On Sept. 24, rangers announced the search for Crumbo was shifting from a rescue situation to a recovery. The change came after days of searching the Shoshone Lake shoreline by boat, swept trails in the area, and searched open waters by helicopter.

Wednesday, Yellowstone rangers confirmed the National Park Service’s Submerged Resources Center is using sonar equipment to detect clues in the water of where Crumbo may be. Park crews are also searching for Crumbo by foot and boat with help from the Grand Teton National Park’s interagency helicopter and dog teams from Western Montana Search Dogs. This comes after an autopsy determined O’Neill died of hypothermia.

According to rangers, search efforts for Crumbo will continue for the next several days as conditions warrant. The incident remains under investigation. If you were in the Shoshone Lake area between Sept. 12-19 and have any information that could help investigators piece together what happened, you are asked to contact Yellowstone rangers at 307-344-2428 or yell_tip@nps.gov”

#kimcrumbo #rewilding #rewildinginstitute #projectcoyote #wildlandsnetwork #wildarizona #yellowstonenationalpark #conservationist

 John will receive his 2nd vaccine shot next week, so we are planning to reopen the gallery with limited regular hours beginning in March. Details of those hours will be announced soon.

Gallery visitors must continue to follow CDC guidelines by wearing masks, social distancing and keeping groups to a minimum. Appointments outside regular hours and on weekends are still available.

We continue to encourage online purchases through the secure checkout on our store when at all possible.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Thank you for appreciating art and supporting our artists.

​Stay Healthy.