New Orleans High School Students to Benefit from MS Rau Antiques' 'Art in the Crescent City' Contest in 2012

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NEW ORLEANS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BENEFIT FROM MS RAU ANTIQUES' 'ART IN THE CRESCENT CITY' CONTEST IN 2012
Largest Antiques and Fine Arts Dealer in America to Support Art Education in Local Schools

(New Orleans, LA) December 18, 2011-M.S. Rau Antiques is celebrating its centennial in 2012 as the country's most prestigious antiques, fine arts and estate jewelry dealer located in the historic French Quarter. One of the most exciting initiatives that third generation family owner Bill Rau has planned is the roll out of the non-profit Rau for Art Foundation that focuses on art education in the metropolitan New Orleans schools.

Leading up to MS Rau's official centennial celebration weekend, which will take place in March 2012, the Rau for Art Foundation will identify talented young artists and their schools, educate them in the business of art, and help them to reach their educational goals by offering $17,000 in scholarships and prizes to the contest winners and their high schools. Rau for Art Foundation's first annual Art Scholarship Competition goals are to promote art appreciation among high school level students, educate students at the high school level in art appreciation, as well as in the business of selling art, and support art education around the city.

Finalists from the competition will receive insight about setting up their portfolio and marketing themselves and their works in a series of workshops. Finalists will also have their works exhibited at M.S. Rau Antiques. The panel of guest judges includes local artists Alex Beard and Steve Martin, plus local musician Jeremy Davenport.

The competition kicks off January 1^st, 2012 for students in grades 10 to 12 in the parishes of New Orleans and Jefferson. Students are encouraged to submit original works of art for a chance to win scholarship money. This year's contest theme is "The Culture of the Crescent City," which asks participating students to create a work of art, accompanied by a short paragraph describing the work that illustrates what best embodies New Orleans culture and tradition for them. Submissions are due February 15th, 2012. Finalists will be announced March 9th, 2012, and will be honored at a special luncheon later that month.

Prizes for the Rau for Art contest go beyond scholarship money for individual students. Funding will be awarded to the art departments of the winning students' high school art departments. The first prize is $7,500 towards college and the option to participate in a summer study abroad in Italy. In addition, the winner's high school art department will receive $2,500 to help sustain art education and promote the success of future artists in New Orleans area schools.

Additional awards will be given to second and third place winners and their schools; furthermore, the art teachers who encourage the most students to participate in the competition will also receive prizes. Additional information can be found at www.rauforart.com