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Host a Summer Art Social

By: Molly McConnell

Artists in action! Summer sun! Tasty food and drinks! A summer art social can be a very effective and fun way to collect donations and raise funds for a non-profit organization. In Whitefish, Montana, for example, the Whitefish Community Foundation and the Iron Horse Foundation team up every year to host the Summer Art Social. It started out as a fun gathering for volunteers and donors to mingle and socialize, but it ended up being so wildly successful that the Whitefish Community Foundation saw a fundraising opportunity. Each year, guests enjoy live music, drinks, and wonderful food while they bid on local artwork and watch local artists create art live at the event. Does this sound like a fun way to raise money for a non-profit organization? Follow these steps and host your own!

What Is an Art Social?

An Art Social is a gathering of people who enjoy the arts and want to give back to a special organization or group. The most successful art socials involve auctions, various artists, and of course, food and drinks!

First, find a location that will accommodate not only the number of guests, but also the featured art and artists' displays. Outdoor locations are ideal, however one must factor in the weather forecast- a sudden rain shower would surely put a damper on a live auction.

Second, invite local artists who would be willing to display and donate a portion of their proceeds to the charity. Many times the location will dictate the genre of art (for example, an art show in New Mexico would probably feature southwestern scenes and clay pottery). Having a common theme amongst the art, whether it is the medium used or a common decorating theme (western, lodge-style, beach, etc.), helps tie the show together.

After the location and featured artists are determined, the menu, invite-list, and program must be planned out. To make the event memorable, host live artists. The setting, theme, or even the guests themselves can act as artists' muses as one or more artists turn their art into a performance act. This works especially well with painting and sculpting, although there are countless possibilities. When guests watch the artists create a unique piece inspired by the event, they will want to scoop up the one-of-a-kind artwork, which raises more money for the charity organization!

Adding a live auction to the art social can pump up the bidders; however, silent auctions are also useful fundraising tools. All art can be included in a silent auction line-up- don't forget performance art such as plays, musicals, and concerts can be big ticket items as well! If the art social is a less formal affair, a make-your-own station could be set up to raise funds as well. If, for example, the art social is to help build a community center, there could be a corner dedicated for guests to buy and personalize tiles to be displayed in the new building. Guests don't want to be cornered into buying something, but the more opportunities they have to contribute to the charity, the more likely they will actually do so.

The aforementioned example from Whitefish, Montana is on its third annual Summer Art Social. The Whitefish Community Foundation is a not-for-profit group that is "Enriching the Future of Whitefish" by joining community members together into a united mission of giving. Since 2000, the Foundation has assisted many great causes in raising awareness and funds for such causes as low income housing, children's sports, the arts, hungry and homeless community members, and youth programs. The Summer Art Social is one of many great events that fellow Whitefish residents have come up with to help out others in the community.

Several distinguished local artists will be featured at this year's art social including Dean Grommet, owner of Creations Studio. He co-owns Glacier Jet Technologies with Josh Boyce, another local. Glacier Jet Technologies is a company that works with water jet cutting, laser cutting, and plasma cutting machinery. These are all useful techniques for making clean, precise cuts through almost any material and almost any purpose, including sign making, replacement parts, and green wind energy turbine parts.

Grommet will be donating pieces from his Creations Studio art furniture line. At last year's art social, he reigned in some of the highest bids in the auction for charity. His pieces featured on the Creations Studio site mix rustic decor with western decor to create a unique selection of functional art. The site features several artists and offers an eclectic mix of handmade furniture designs, western lighting fixtures, lodge bedding, and Native American artifacts. Their signature style incorporates Rocky Mountain elk, moose, whitetail, mule deer, and caribou antlers, exotic hair-on hides, intricate leather braiding and fringe, and hand forged wrought iron work. He is very much looking forward to showing at the Summer Art Social 2011.

Article Source: http://articles.tiptopweb.info

Molly McConnell works for Creations Studio www.antlerart.org/ and Glacier Jet Technologies Cutting & Fabrication www.glacierjet.com/. Molly recently graduated from the University of Montana and takes much of her writing inspiration from her beautiful surroundings.

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