Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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The Wichita Falls Art Association and Art Battle International made a big announcement this morning (11.01.19). The 2020 Art Battle US National Championships will be held right here in Wichita Falls.

This means that Art Battle International and the Wichita Falls Art Association, will be bringing the top live artists in the United States to Wichita Falls next April. The artists will compete in front of local and online audiences with three fast -paced rounds of live painting. The audience then votes on which one they like best. The winners of the first two rounds advance to the third round and the winner of the third round to the next level of competition. The winner in the National event next April will move on to the 2020 Art Battle World Championship in Tokyo next October.

Bob Barrow, WFAA Member and local Art Battle Producer said, "The WFAA and the people of Wichita Falls are thrilled to welcome the Art Battle National Finalists to our community for a celebration of talent like no other."

Art Battle Co-Founder, Sean Bono, has been impressed with the quality of art and the community involvement in the two previous events in Wichita Falls saying, "Each year we look to the strongest Art Battle community to host the Championship, and this year the choice was clear - Art Battle in Wichita Falls has grown to see record-setting live audiences and has elevated their incredible artists to a national level."

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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All of this hard work and dedication hasn't gone unnoticed by Downtown Wichita Falls Development as Executive Director, Jana Schmader, said, "Hosting the national competition is a major accomplishment for our community and a tourism opportunity to show off our great city. To all of the volunteers who put on this event, we thank you, and to all of the artists who add to the vibrancy of our community, we thank you. We can't wait to see what 2020 has in store!"

The WFAA noted that this accomplishment was made possible by the tireless efforts of the volunteers and generous support from The Fain Foundation, The Bridwell Foundation, The Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts & Culture, and many others.

Two of the three city rounds of Art Battle have already taken place, with the third and final Art Battle Wichita Falls round for the year scheduled for Saturday, November 9th. The event will take place at The Warehouse at 1401 Lamar Street, tickets are $20 ($15 early bird pricing ends this weekend) and are available through Eventbrite or at the door.

At the close of this mornings press conference Bob Barrow stated that it is his goal to, "Make Wichita Falls the art mecca of North Texas." With a little help from his friends he's well on the way to accomplishing just that.

 

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