The Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation will get a welcome boost from local artists this weekend.

The 2011 “Whidbey Regional Art Show and Exhibit” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 and 11 am. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 at the Coupeville Rec Hall. The juried fine arts show is a benefit for WAIF.

This all-Whidbey show features a very talented lineup of island artists, and new to show this year is Mary Burks, a textile artist of some renown. Coupeville Arts Festival poster artists Gerry Roberts and Randy Emmons join Burks with returning artists Linda Shafer, Mark Lucero and Mark Skullerud. Each artist will be displaying some new or never-shown-before artwork.

The show will help support the development of WAIF’s new shelter, and organizers said the art will be displayed exhibition style.

And WAIF, the artists added, is a worthy recipient.

“I thoroughly enjoy being a participant in this wonderful art show for such a worthy cause,” Shafer said.

“Most people really like art shows and really love their animals, sounds like a winner to me,” Emmons added.

WAIF will be running a silent auction of art donated by the artists on both days of the show, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit. A 15 percent of all art sales will also be donated to WAIF by the artists.

The show is presented by WhidbeyArtShows.com, an informal affiliation of island artists dedicated to their chosen profession as well as the mission of presenting their art in a positive environment.