It’s not often attire for a fundraiser calls for black tie and running shoes. However, it may be time to start your cardio training for ARS Gallery, Arts, and Culture Center’s ‘A Food, Wine & Art Experience!’ on October 22. The event will feature a unique auction called the ‘Dart for Art’ where guest will race each other to be able to buy the art piece they want to take home.
“Dart for Art’ is not your typical auction, it is a lively, unique event in a warehouse and gallery setting where guests leave with an original piece of art. Guests will stroll through the gallery previewing the works they will be “darting” (running) for later in the evening,” explains ARS Director of Administration & Communications, Jenny Waters. “Our auctioneer, Brian Maynard will call 12 numbers at a time to determine the order. The guests will line up and when he says go, they “dart’ for their chosen piece.”
Before the “Dart for Art”, guests will begin with a social hour featuring champagne, tapas, unique wines and an outdoor port and cigar bar. The event will also feature a live Bossanova band led by the Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn inspired vocalist, Livia Gazzolo. Gazzolo, who is from Chicago, is known to local music lovers for her weekly summertime performances at Café Gulistan in Harbert, MI.
The money raised at this event will go towards funding the ARS Gallery, Arts, and Culture Center’s programs for at-risk youth. These programs include after-school programming, summer art camp sponsorships, and arts education opportunities at their community art center. ARS has built a strong slate of programs for area children and teens over their 12 years in the Benton Harbor Arts District including the “I Am the Greatest” (IATG) program. The IATG Project, named for Muhammad Ali and featuring sculptures of a famous Ali pose created by John Sauvé (some you can spot as art installations around the twin cities), teaches and assists youth in assessing their strengths and determining their goals through lessons about community, public art, and the history of Muhammad Ali. In addition to art, teens also learn to express themselves through introspective writing, creating, and sharing their thoughts and feelings through several types of artistic media at ARS.
The ARS Gallery, Arts, and Culture Center’s, ‘A Food, Wine & Art Experience!’ takes place at ARS’s second Arts District Location, ARS Gallery II, located at 196 Water Street in Benton Harbor on October 22 from 5:30 – 9:00 PM. The cost of admission is $150 per person, tables of 8 are available for $1200, and tables of 10 for $1500. The ticket price includes food and drinks. The price of admission does not include the cost of the art. Individual artists will assign prices to their pieces accordingly. This event will be limited to 80 guests. Visit this link to see ticket options and to learn more about ARS visit their website.
by Julee Laurent
MOTM Contributor
