Join the East Texas Arboretum in celebrating City of Athens heritage by participating in the new "Fiddlin' Around the Arboretum" event and exhibition. We are seeking artistic participation of any ability from the community and local artists in decorating wooden fiddles to be displayed as an art exhibition throughout the arboretum grounds this fall.

1) Fiddles to decorate will be picked up at the arboretum during normal business hours from Sept. 23 through Oct. 10.
2) Fiddles may be decorated in any style, genre or subject EXCEPT for graphically explicit sexual, criminal, political or violent images. Any images deemed inappropriate by the arboretum will not be exhibited.
3) Materials used should be durable and sealed with a Thompson’s Water seal (or like product). You can paint one or both sides, but both sides must be sealed. Artists are encouraged to sign their fiddles.
4) Three-dimensional artwork may be applied to the fiddles and any medium can be used. Get creative!
5) There will be a $10 deposit for each fiddle ($15 for those already sealed) that is picked up. This will be returned to the artist upon returning the decorated fiddle to the Arboretum for display.
6) Each fiddle will be labeled with the artist's name and name of the artwork if provided.
7) The deadline for delivery of finished fiddles to the arboretum is 5 p.m., October 24. The fiddles will be exhibited through the month of November at the East Texas Arboretum.

Artists retain copyrights to their designs. Participants will grant the City of Athens and the arboretum to use photographic reproductions of the artwork in publicizing, advertising and promoting the fundraiser. Fiddles remain the property of the artist, and it is their choice to sell them, but they shall remain at the arboretum until Nov. 21. Any fiddles left after Nov. 30 will become property of the East Texas Arboretum.

All entrance proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the East Texas Arboretum, a non-profit natural area designed to promote education about wildlife, plants and trees for schools, families and people of the Athens community, Henderson County and surrounding areas.