Thunderbird Artists, producer of award-winning fine art and wine festivals, is partnering with the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership to bring juried fine artists to the Southeast valley.
Patrons love strolling throughout spectacular paintings, bronzes, glass, stone, copper, clay sculptures, photography and jewelry.

Known in the art world as a Collectors’ Paradise, Thunderbird Artists prides itself on quality and diversity. The festival boasts juried artists exhibiting a wide range of oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolors, gouache and photography, as well as ink, pencil, and charcoal drawings. Collectors with more surface space than empty walls can take home sculpture in stone, bronze, metal, hand-blown glass, wood, clay, mixed media and gourds. And for those who wear their art collections, Thunderbird Artists festivals offer a broad range of one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Thunderbird Artists’ Festival’s Featured Artist for Chandler: Wood Sculptor, Alex Chitura
Alex Chitura was born in Zimbabwe. He attended Masvingo College of Art, where he graduated in 1979 with distinctions in welding and sculpting. He has created and sold beautiful individual pieces to private collectors from various countries around the world for over twenty years. In 2005, Alex relocated to the United States, where he continued with his exceptional and unique sculpting. Alex regularly attends shows around the country and has won numerous awards, including first place, people’s choice, and best of show. Some of his work is displayed at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, including a life-size elephant carefully crafted from stone.

Throughout childhood Alex had an admiration for wild animals and would spend the day at the Game Park taking pictures. He was drawn to the way they moved and reacted to one another and that is what drove him to become an artist. He desires to not just carve an animal, but go above and beyond and capture the animal in action. To Alex it’s what makes the difference between an animal sculpture and a piece of art. His artistic goal is to capture the animal as is and show expression, action and just enough mystery to exercise the viewer’s imagination. The desire is to portray God’s creation in a way that the viewer is transformed into the sculpture. There is a relationship that exists between an artist and the materials he uses, this relationship is the driving force in choosing what kind of wood or stone to use, and it also helps in visualizing what the sculpture will look like.

Date: February 16 - 18, 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m

Location:

AJ Chandler Park
3 South Arizona Avenue
Chandler, AZ 85225

Admission $5.00 (cash only)
Souvenir Glass Wine Glass with tasting tickets - $15.00 (cash preferred)
Free public parking in one of the five nearby parking structures. Please be vigilant about the timed spaces.

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