For the 18th consecutive year, Thomasville Center for the Arts will host the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival, one of the largest and most recognized wildlife arts shows in the country.

From Nov. 15-17, guests are invited to peruse 40,000 square feet of exquisite works from 70 of the country’s most notable sporting and wildlife artists, to experience a variety of outdoor activities supporting wildlife education and conservation, and to attend exclusive before-and-after-hours events featuring live music and abundant southern fare.

 “This festival is a true fine art experience that can only be found in Thomasville,” said Festival Show Chair Gates Kirkham. “These artists are world class and among the best in their field. While it is a great family outing, more importantly, it provides an excellent opportunity to acquire original wildlife art while the proceeds go to support the children’s programs at the center.”

 Because of underwriters, artists, volunteers  and attendees, PWAF will be the single biggest fundraiser of the year for the Center for the Arts. Festival admission this year will include hands-on activities from the Gulf Specimen Marine Mobile Lab, Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, the Live Oak Hounds Pony Club, plus shooting and fishing simulators from the Georgia Department of Natural Reserves, Orvis-sponsored fly fishing demonstrations and a meet and greet with Hobbs a 600-pound bengal tiger from Tiger Stripes Sanctuary.

“We invite people to come and make a weekend of this nationally recognized art event while enjoying the charm and Southern hospitality of Thomasville, a haven for nature lovers and sportsmen alike,” said Brandy Kirkham, PWAF manager. “The festival coincides with the opening of quail season, and the Red Hills region is home to the highest densities of Bobwhite quail in the United States.”

 This year, PWAF organizers will welcome featured artist Peter Corbin, a painter whose 30-year career has borne a wide range of meticulously composed landscapes, scenes of fly fishing and wing shooting, and portraits of dogs, horses, birds and other wildlife. Corbin’s works have been likened to those of A.B. Frost and Ogden Pleissner and have established him as one of the finest American sporting artists of his generation.

 Professional zoologist and host of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” Jim Fowler, will be returning to PWAF and speaking to guests both days of the festival in an intimate setting designed for audience interaction. The festival also welcomes members of the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary of Jupiter, Fla., who will be walking the festival grounds with a menagerie of live animals, and who will put on a daily wildlife show.

 In conjunction with the festival, Flowers Foods is  sponsoring two wildlife art contests for area youth. Artwork from kindergaten through 5th-grade students with the theme “Red Hills Wildlife” will be juried and a “Best in Show” winner will receive $300 toward their school’s art program and a scholarship to attend the center’s Arts in the Afternoon program. Additionally, artwork from 6th- through 12th-grade applicants with the theme “Gamebirds in Flight” will be juried, with the “Best in Show” artist receiving $500 toward their school’s art program, and a $1,000 scholarship toward either a summer intensive camp at Savannah College of Art and Design or their tuition at an arts college.

 Festival tickets cost $15 for adults ($20 for both days) and $5 for children. Ages four and under are admitted free. In addition to festival events, tickets include free weekend admission to Pebble Hill Plantation, as well as a discounted docent tour of the plantation’s main house.

For those seeking to make a weekend out of the festival’s events, PWAF is offering a Weekend Wildlife Package for $200 per guest which includes festival admission and tickets to two events sponsored by Commercial Bank, Friday’s Patron Party, and Saturday’s Bird Dog Bash, a casual open-air event at historic Pebble Hill Plantation, in a newly renovated venue called the Oak Post, which stands surrounded by stretches of idyllic pasture.

 For underwriters, PWAF will offer exclusive preview hours for purchasing art before the doors open to the public and access to the Covey Rise Underwriter’s Lounge. The lounge is a private space turned wildlife retreat on the center’s main floor where underwriters will have access to an open bar, light snacks, coffee and a relaxing respite. Underwriters are also invited to an intimate meet-and-greet with Corbin on Friday at 5 p.m. and an exclusive Sunday plantation brunch under the center’s Live Oaks at 10 a.m., with all of the show’s artists, where they can nosh on classic southern fare before festival hours. Underwriter packages start at $500.

As one of the most renowned wildlife art shows in the nation, featuring festival activities with something for everyone, this event is not to be missed. The festival opens to the public Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. and tickets may be purchased at the door.

For more information, to see the schedule of events, or to purchase festival tickets, Underwriter or weekend packages, visit www.PWAF.org or call Thomasville Center for the Arts at 229-226-0588.