Rie
Munoz just came back from three fun-filled days in beautiful
Cordova, Alaska where she was the one and only juror for
the Cordova Historical Society's annual 'Fish Follies'.
The exhibition solicited artwork from around the U.S.
and Alaska with the only requirement being that the subject
matter in some way related to fish. Munoz picked a dozen
winners for different categories. Rie also signed books,
showed a slide presentation of her work and attended a
luncheon in her honor.
Another
famous Alaskan artist visited Cordova many years ago.
Eustace Zeigler was the caretaker of the First Episcopal
Church. During his Alaskan tenure he painted many Alaskan
scenes, in oil, that are collected by museums. Rie Munoz
once bought a Zeigler original and while traveling through
Seattle thought she would pay him a visit. To her surprise
she found his number in the phone book. His wife answered
and said, "Of course sweetie, he'd love for you to
stop by." Mrs. Zeigler gave Rie the address to her
husband's studio. When she arrived and introduced herself,
Eustace exclaimed, "Oh, an Alaskan nugget, do come
in. I'm just having a bowl of soup, won't you join me?"
Rie entered the large, mostly abandoned warehouse where
she had expected to see a room full of masterpieces. All
of Zeigler's work was already at galleries and museums.
One easel with a painting in progress, and a small table
was all that was in the room. They shared a can of Campbell's
noodle soup together and had a nice visit.