LATEST NEWS

August 07, 2008
Press Information: For Immediate Release

Contact: Maggie Pearson, Executive Director, Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show (AVMS) (520) 271-8720

Announcing First Annual Juried Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show to Benefit Clinical Valley Fever Research

Animal art produced by animal doctors go together like peanut butter and jelly (or perhaps a horse and carriage), but sometimes it's easy to miss the obvious. That's why it's positively ingenious that a group of Tucson veterinarians have conceived of a juried art exhibit featuring works for sale by accomplished veterinarian artists - and all to benefit a good animal cause.

The Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show (AVMS), in affiliation with the Southern Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, is mounting its first annual Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Exhibit, with a portion of sales going to benefit Clinical Valley Fever Research. Valley Feaver is a devastating fungal disease that affects both animals and humans, primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico with a concentration of US cases in Arizona and California. This unique exhibit will feature exquisite animal art in a variety of media by veterinarian, veterinary technician and student veterinarian artists from throughout Arizona and the United States. The AVMS website at http://www.vetart.org/ has information and deadlines for veterinarian artists who would like to exhibit their work for sale in the show.

The exhibit opens at Northern Trust Bank, 6444 E. Tanque Verde Road, in Tucson, Ariz., on Nov. 4. The opening coincides with Valley Fever Awareness Week in Arizona. The show continues through Jan. 29, 2009. An opening reception will be held at Northern Trust Bank from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on Nov. 12. Reservations are required. For more information and reservations contact Maggie Pearson at (520) 271-8720.

The show will be judged by University of Arizona Professor Emeritus of Art Maurice Grossman. Mr. Grossman, a watercolorist, clay and mixed-media artist, has won many honors and awards for his art in a variety of media, including a Fulbright Fellowship to Japan (1954), a Rockefeller Grant, and a National Endowment in the Arts Award (1984). Mr. Grossman has exhibited his work in group and solo shows for 50 years. Many of his works are now in private collections. He has juried numerous shows.

In affiliation with the exhibit, Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show is proud to present an evening of stand-up comedy with Kevin Fitzgerald, a veterinarian from Denver, Colo. Fitzgerald is notable for being a veterinarian at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, home to the Animal Planet reality series Emergency Vets, and its follow-up series, E-Vet Interns. Fitzgerald is also a regular on the Denver-area stand-up comedy circuit, where he is billed as "the hardest working veterinarian in show business". Fitzgerald will bring his act to the Fox Theater in Tucson at 7 p.m. on Monday November 10th 2008. Tickets for "An Evening with Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, DVM" are $22.50 and will be available from the Fox Theater Box Office from the end of September.

Additionally, AVMS will host a free three-lecture series on "Valley Fever in Animals". The speaker, Sharon Dial, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, will give an overview on how Valley Fever impacts companion animals. The lectures will highlight early recognition of the disease by the owner and provide information on ongoing research into new diagnostic methods and treatments. The lecture series at Northern Trust Bank will be from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Nov. 13 2008, Dec. 11 2008 and Jan. 15 2009. Reservations are required. For reservations call (520) 271-8720.

All art in the show is for sale. Twenty-five percent of income from sold works will be donated by the artists for Valley Fever-related research. The funds will be distributed by the Southern Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, a nonprofit that promotes public interest in veterinary medicine in Arizona. The association works to educate the public concerning animal health and welfare, and it promotes educational programs for veterinarians and their employees.

About Clinical Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)
Valley Fever is primarily a disease of the lungs caused by the Coccidioidus fungus, a species of fungus that grows in soils in areas of low rainfall, high summer temperatures, and moderate winter temperatures. The disease is not usually contagious and secondary infections are rare. It is spread by inhaled, airborne spores. An estimated 150,000 infections occur annually in the southwestern United States. About 3,000 cases in dogs alone are diagnosed in Pima County, Ariz., each year. Many domestic and native animals are susceptible to the disease, including pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, burros, coyotes, rodents, bats and snakes. The disease is insidious and debilitating, and it can be fatal.

About Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show (AVMS)
http://www.vetart.org/
AVMS is a Tucson-based coalition of veterinarian artists and an artist client who had an "Aha!" moment in thinking that mounting a show of veterinarian art would be a wonderful way to have the public interact with veterinarians in a non-clinical setting while raising money and awareness for an urgent and worthwhile cause. For more information about the group and samples of veterinarian-created art works to be featured in the show. Visit http://www.vetart.org/

"Our goal is to promote the interaction of the veterinarian and pet owner in a social/artistic environment with the added benefit of fighting a disease that concerns many veterinarians and pet owners in the southwestern states," said AVMS Executive Director Maggie Pearson.

Clinical Valley Fever Education and Research Groups

The Valley Fever Center for Excellence (VFCE)
www.vfce.arizona.edu/
The mission of the VFCE is to mobilize resources for the eradication of Valley Fever (Coccidiomycosis) through:

• Development of public awareness and education about Valley Fever
• Promotion of high quality care for patients of Valley Fever
• Pursuit and encouragement of research into all aspects of Coccidioides sp. and the disease it causes.

The VFCE provides a multi-faceted awareness program to the public, medical practitioners and health care workers.

Southern Arizona Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA)
http://www.savma.net/
SAVMA is a nonprofit association that promotes the interests of veterinary medicine in Arizona. This includes furthering the health and welfare of animals statewide, advancing the cause of public health issues as it relates to veterinary medicine, and fostering educational programs for veterinarians and their employees The Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (AzVDL). AzVDL provides veterinary diagnostic services to veterinarians and animal owners in Arizona.


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The Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show 2008 is proud to announce an outstanding event for your calendar! We will be hosting "An Evening with Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, DVM" at the Fox Theatre in historic downtown Tucson, Arizona, on Monday November 10th 2008.

"Dr. Fitz", a board certified veterinarian who works at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in his native Denver, Colorado is best known for his appearances on the Animal Planet reality show Emergency Vets and, more recently, E-Vet Interns. He is also a noted stand-up comic and was even named one of the 50 most eligible bachelors by People Magazine!

It's all set to be a memorable evening so put in in your diary right now and come and join us!

Who? An Evening with Animal Planet's Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, DVM

Where? The Fox Theatre, N Stone Ave, Tucson, Arizona

When? Monday November 10th 2008 at 7:00pm

How much? Tickets are $22.50 each, with proceeds to benefit the Artistry and Veterinary Medicine Show 2008.

Tickets? On sale from the end of September from the Fox Theatre Box Office - (520) 624-1515