Emerging Artists Go Vintage with a Virtual Art Gallery Collection

(Family Features) - As a brand that views winemaking as an art and believes in forging your own path, Kim Crawford Wines unveiled The Artists' Lounge "Vintage 2009" virtual gallery, displaying a full collection of original artwork inspired by musings and ideas shared by the community's members.

Within the "Vintage 2009" gallery, The Artists' Lounge's four Artists in Residence have created seven original works of art reflective of the times and that represent the artistic genres of music, photography, print making and poetry. Of the seven community members who inspired the art, Briane Smith-Perez was chosen as the grand prize winner and will receive a trip for two to New Zealand to share in the spirit behind Kim Crawford's winemaking.

"At Kim Crawford, we strive to capture the true aromas and flavors of New Zealand in each bottle, allowing the flavors of the wines to captivate the senses," says Matt Large, winemaker. "We expanded this spirit beyond the wine bottle and aimed to captivate, inspire, engage and discover an emerging art community with The Artists' Lounge."

Like Kim Crawford Wines, the Artists in Residence combine a passion for excellence with a vision for exploring new boundaries. The emerging artists whose original artwork appears in the "Vintage 2009" collection are:

• Mateo Messina, award-winning film, television and symphony composer
• Gary Heller, expressive photographer
• Dan Grzeca, painter and printmaker
• Emily Kagan Trenchard, performance poet specializing in slam poetry

In October 2009, Kim Crawford Wines launched The Artists' Lounge, a virtual community designed to celebrate emerging artists - to uncork creativity and let the community start something together. Consumers were invited to join the conversation by sharing their thoughts, ideas and musings at ExperienceKimCrawford.com/theartistslounge and earned the chance to see their inspirations turned into original works of art, now located in the "Vintage 2009" collection.

To join the community and receive a private viewing of the "Vintage 2009" gallery, visit ExperienceKimCrawford.com/theartistslounge. You can also follow Kim Crawford Wines on Twitter@kimcrawfordwine and on Facebook to receive news about wine, events and programs.

Original photography by Gary Heller

SOURCE:
Kim Crawford Wines