The 10th annual Okanagan Arts Awards celebrate artistic and creative excellence and achievement of artists, in all disciplines on March 12.

This year, the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan is further highlighting the past year鈥檚 Excellence in Applied Arts winner, Art Felt Collaborative, by commissioning the award-winning group to create unique awards to honour the 2017 award winners.

The Art Felt Collaborative is made up of artists Alice Pallett, Amy Burkard, Diane Goossens, Judith Mueller and Violet Racz. Coming together in 2014 to form and share their love of felting, in 2015 they exhibited their work at the Lake Country Art Gallery, Artwalk, the Salmon Arm Art Gallery, and are active members of the Ponderosa Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artists.

The public is invited to come down to the Rotary Centre for the Arts Atrium on Thursday, March 2 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 to get a sneak peek of the beautiful sculptures in progress and watch the artists in action.

鈥淎ward sculptures are art,鈥� said ARTSCO鈥檚 executive director, Katie Brennan. 鈥淟ocal professional artists lending their creative vision to the awards process deepens the recognition of our creative community. We are thrilled to have the Art Felt Collaborative working on the awards this year.鈥�