Monorchid and Matt Dougan Collaborate On Exhibition And Charity Auction

PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 15, 2012 - December is not the only month meant for giving and no one believes that more than artist and entrepreneur Matt Dougan.  Over the years Matt created and exhibited numerous artworks including illustrations, paintings, and photographs, some of which have been featured on MSNBC.com in the Sunday travel section.  His current artwork focuses on classic car, motorcycle, rock-n-roll, and road-trip themes and the people involved in what he calls, “the lifestyle.”  Matt wants to use his success and passion to help others so he approached monOrchid about showing his work in January 2013 and holding an auction with some of the proceeds to benefit the Wounded Warriors Foundation and the Humane Society of Arizona.  
Matt is an Army combat veteran (served 1987-1996) and an animal lover and decided he wanted to use his talents to give back to those things that he is so passionate about.  Matt studied at the Art Institute of Dallas before joining the military and has since developed a diverse career as an architectural designer with several custom homes featured on hgtv.com in the Global design feature for Spanish influenced design.  Matt also owns an online store, Iron Crow Vintage, specializing in hard to find classic automobile, motorcycle, and rock-n-roll memorabilia and clothing.
Dougan himself states, “Being a veteran myself, I feel a kindred spirit to my brothers and sisters in arms. There can never be enough done for our veterans and their families who give so much, especially those injured and maimed and of course the families of those who gave all. Many of the wounded warriors are injured to the point that they will be forever challenged to provide for themselves and their families and I just want to do whatever I can to help. What I can give as proceeds from the auction will be only a small portion of what these soldiers need, but with the help of friends and art lovers everywhere, maybe we can come together and make a bigger dent and provide the best we can together.....for the animal side of things, all I have to say is there are those animals out there particularly cats and dogs that are abused and neglected and I want to be a voice and help for those beautiful creatures that have no voices. They rely on us......”
The exhibition, “As the Crow Flies” includes a combination of Matt’s artwork and the memorabilia he collects.  The show will include approximately 20 items that will be auctioned during the artist’s reception on January 12, 2013 between 6-10pm.  Some of the items to be auctioned are:
* 1976 Fender stratocaster and Ibanez combined relic guitar
* 1950's vintage leather biker jacket
* 1960's vintage leather cafe Racer jacket
* 1960's vintage Lemans inscribed formula 1 swiss chronograph watch
* 2 Custom vintage relic jewelry pieces by Jennifer Phillips
* 4 selected signed photographic or art pieces from the show by Matt Dougan
The exhibition coincides with a show in monOrchid’s bokeh gallery featuring a special project by Linda Ingraham.  Recently, Linda took a step outside the status quo of her work and created a more “photographic” project, a photessay of the details in and around the sleepy ghost town outside of Jerome, AZ.  Ingraham’s focus for many years has been on the beauty in found objects, plants, and animals and how they change over time as they decay, whither, and fall apart due to natural phenomenon.  This project, titled Off the Beaten Path: A Departure from the Norm represents the artists’ interest in change and breaking from the everyday expectations of who she is and what she does.
Located at 214 E Roosevelt St, in the heart of the arts district in downtown Phoenix, the monOrchid building offers space for events, weddings, photo/video production, art exhibits, and small businesses. The monOrchid is a 14,000 sq ft space comprised of two art galleries, office pods, and two world-class photo cycloramas. The varied connected spaces house multiple creative businesses and offer unique settings for cultural events within the masonry walls and soaring natural wood bow trusses. Originally a warehouse constructed in 1937 by Del Webb, the building is an excellent example of adaptive-reuse in the city’s core. Through years of renovation and invention, the building has morphed into a place for collaboration, creativity and celebration.  For more information about art exhibitions, event rental, or office space please visit www.monorchid.com .

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/12043865/1