There will be a “Starry Night” during the College of Arts and Sciences Leadership Board’s seventh annual Arty Party Saturday Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in Woods Quad and the surrounding buildings.
The Arty Party is a fundraiser that benefits student research in the fine arts and performing arts departments. This year’s event will raise money for art and art history, as well as support the Windgate Fellowship scholarship fund.
“[The party] rotates each year to focus on a different fine arts division to support, and it’s fun and creative to have a big party,” said Kelli Wright, a communications specialist for the College of Arts and Sciences.
The event will consist of both a silent and live auction. The silent auction will have approximately 40 items and the live auction will have approximately 15, mostly donated by friends of the College of Arts and Sciences, faculty, alumni and students. There will be a mix of original and bought pieces.
Money collected through the two auctions, ticket sales and donations will benefit one of the five divisions of the fine arts and performing arts departments – creative writing, art and art history, music, dance and theatre.
The night will start with guests entering through Woods Hall with a live jazz ensemble, and the silent auction in the sculpture studio accompanied with cocktails. The cocktail hour will extend out into Woods Quad for a view of the night sky, the inspiration for the event’s title “Starry Night.”
In Garland Hall six student recipients of the Windgate scholarship will have their art on exhibition in the Sarah Moody Gallery from 6-7:30 p.m.
Guests will then be able to vote on the artwork via “People’s Choice Awards” for first, second and honorable mention of the students’ exhibitions. The awards will consist of $500, $300 and $200 checks.
The last part of the evening will be a seated dinner in the third floor dance studio of Clark Hall and the live auction.
“The silent auction is exciting; the live auction is exciting, but what I enjoy most is to see the alumni and people come back to campus to support these students,” said Becky Florence, assistant director of development and director of college relations. “They love to see the students and their work.”
Since September, the planning committee of the Leadership Board has been working with faculty from the art department, the dean’s office, and Florence to make Arty Party a successful event.
“Interestingly, the invitation [for the party] was the final exam project for the Graphic Design Portfolio class,” Florence said. “Fifteen students each designed an invitation and presented it to the Fine Arts committee. The committee thought everyone’s work was so professionally done. They were truly delighted by the quality of work.”
Caleb J. Hall, a December graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising, was the student whose work was chosen for the final printing of Arty Party’s invitation.
Arty Party has currently raised more than $200,000 for fine arts programs and scholarships.
The Leadership Board of the College of Arts and Sciences sends out invitations primarily to those considered “friends of the college,” but tickets are available to purchase by phone. Individual tickets are $150, patron tickets $200, table sponsorships $1,250 and benefactor sponsorships $2,500. Call 348-7007 for more information.
