For Immediate Release, October 26, 2020
Contact: Joanie Steinhaus, Gulf Program Director, joanie@seaturtles.org
Third Annual ‘Art of Saving Sea Turtles’ Gala and Fundraiser to be Held Online
Locations, Artists, Sponsors of 19 New Sea Turtle Statues Will be Revealed
GALVESTON, Texas — In lieu of an in-person event, Turtle Island Restoration Network and Clay Cup Studios are pleased to announce the third annual Art of Saving Sea Turtles gala and fundraiser is going virtual.
Generous donors and supporters will come together on Thursday, October 29 from 5:30-6:30pm Central to celebrate the Turtles About Town community art project and raise critical funds to support Turtle Island Restoration Network’s sea turtle conservation programs in the Gulf and on Galveston Island. The project was created by Turtle Island Restoration Network and Amy Owens, owner of Clay Cup Studios, in 2018 to raise awareness about endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast while helping drive tourism and business to the local economy.
“Amy and I are thrilled by the support of our sponsors and the talent of our artists in our community,” said Joanie Steinhaus, Turtle Island Restoration Network’s Gulf Program Director. “The project has raised awareness in our national and international visitors of sea turtle conservation in Galveston and of the many restaurants, services, schools and businesses our community has to offer.”
So far the program has installed 31 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle statues around Galveston Island, the Texas state sea turtle and the world’s most endangered sea turtle. The statues are designed by local artists and sponsored by local businesses and individuals. The locations, artists and sponsors of 19 new Kemp’s ridley statues will be revealed during the event, bringing the total number of sea turtle statues on Galveston Island to 50!
Admission is free, and all event donations will support Turtle Island Restoration Network’s sea turtle conservation programs. For more information and to register visit www.seaturtles.org/art.
Turtle Island Restoration Network is a nonprofit organization that works to protect and restore populations of endangered sea turtles and marine biodiversity on the Texas coast and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Clay Cup Studios is a Galveston Art Studio that offers paint your own pottery, canvas painting, glass fusion and Art’tini.
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