Student Art Show to Highlight Sofia Art Academy’s 20th Anniversary Gala on October 10, 2013

DALLAS - Sept. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- DALLAS, TX (September 24, 2013)…According to Sofia Art Academy's founders – Dr. Sofia Khunteyev and Igor Khunteyev – students past and present “have made this an exceptional first 20 years!” To celebrate, a 20^th Anniversary Gala, Reception and Annual Student Art Show are planned for Thursday, October 10, 2013.

All current students,parents and Sofia Art Academy alumni, are invited to attend. The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Park Place Porsche, 6113 Lemmon Ave., Dallas, TX 75209. Tickets are $100.00 and may be purchased at 972-980-1717 or at www.sofiaacademy.com.

The evening includes the annual student art show featuring works by current students and alumni, food and drink provided by SAA, complimentary valet, a raffle and silent auction, a live performance by a Downtown Doug, DJ Nyskel and “Illustr8tive Studios” choreography by Keith Green and live sketching and portraits.

“We are excited to be celebrating 20 years for Sofia Art Academy,” says Dr. Khunteyev. “The gala, along with our annual student art show, are our crowning achievement.”

The Khunteyevs had a vision for their adopted home. As public schools have had to cut funding for art classes, Sofia Art Academy is meeting an important need in the community by providing solid art instruction for children as well as adults. Support from the local arts community has been appreciated. Qualified teachers who would like to be part of training young artists and help with instruction should contact the academy.To learn more about Sofia Art Academy, watch the YouTube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaK-JyFYSY8.

To view student art work, go to www.pinterest.com/charnart/sofia-art-academy/ or www.facebook.com/search/219559878126482/photos-of.

Founded in 1993 in Dallas, Sofia Art Academy was the first traditional classical private art school in the United States. Unique in its approach to art instruction, the program provides a strong foundation for any art student. It’s based on traditional European teaching methods, combining into one a specialized art school for kids and college BFA degree and university MFA degree programs.  Studentshave the opportunity to study classical drawing and painting techniques with master artists just as in traditional nineteenth century art ateliers. Sofia Art Academy is well recognized within college circles as producing students highly trained in classical style. With their portfolios, many students win scholarships at acclaimed arts colleges and institutions.

One such student is Hunter Caraway, who has been awarded a $40,000 DreamWorks scholarship to Ringling College of Art + Design. His application was among the top 2 percent of over 1400 applications from around the world. DreamWorks Animation has produced many of this country’smost popularanimated feature movies over the last two decades.

Sofia Art Academy is an academic-style private art school, wherestudents study fundamentals in classical drawing and painting in the Dallas art community. Students progress through levels and a series of tasks – cast drawing, cast painting, drawing and painting from still lifes and live models. Each task must be completed to the instructor's satisfaction before moving to the next. As students acquire each skill – with strong emphasis placed on accurate observation and construction of proportion, shape, tonal value and color – new and more challenging projects are assigned. This system is referred to as "academic training with systematic progression" or "systematic teaching and learning." The program is developed to enable students to gradually build very strong fundamentals in academic style, from beginner to professional level.

Dr. Sofia Khunteyev has taught art in European universities and U.S. schools for over 30 years. She received her Master of Fine Art from Tashkent State Institute of Theater and Art (Uzbekistan) and her Ph. D. from Tbilisi State University (Georgia). She is a member of the Union of Designers (Russia) and Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (USA) and has received numerous awards and recognitions for being one of the top fine arts educators and professional artists. Her teaching experience includes classic style art, book illustrations, portraiture, fashion and graphic design.

Igor Khunteyev has over 20 years experience in teaching traditional, classic style art. He received his Master of Fine Art from Tashkent State Institute of Theater and Art (Uzbekistan). After moving to USA, he received his AAA degree in Multimedia Production and worked as an art director of interactive designs for corporations such as Ernst & Young and advertising agencies like Tracy Locke. He is a member of the Association of Graphic Designers, USA. His teaching experience includes classic style art, book illustrations, portraiture and interactive graphic design.

AboutSofia Art Academy
Founded by Sofia Khunteyev Ph.D. and Igor Khunteyev MFA in 1993, Sofia Art Academy – Dallas’ nationally-recognized classical European art atelier – is located at 14856 Preston Rd. Suite 200, Dallas, TX 75254. A branch was opened in Miami, FL in 2012. For more information, call 972-980-1717 or visit www.sofiaacademy.com.

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