The Art Alliance of Idyllwild invites the community for an evening of wine, nibbles, live music, an art raffle and silent auction at 5 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Town Hall, for the annual “Eye of the Artist” event.
The price of a raffle ticket may win someone a valuable piece of art. Those attending may choose from over 50 pieces of fine art, many retailing for hundreds of dollars.
AAI members and guest artists donate a piece of artwork that is raffled off to raise money for the AAI’s many works, such as funding art scholarships, education, exhibitions and public art, and supporting other art-related, nonprofit events in town.
Christie Scott will judge AAI members’ artwork. Scott manages the Parks Exhibition Center for the Idyllwild Arts Academy and Summer Program.
In a previous role, she coordinated the Native Arts and Adult Arts Programs and the Summer Exhibits at Parks.
Scott hails from Durango, Colorado where she served as executive director of the Arts Center and as chair of the Durango’s Public Art Commission. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art and a Master of Arts in visual arts administration.
The AAI offers first-, second- and third-place ribbons for art in the categories of 2D, 3D, Photography and Wearable Art. The judge also will award a Best of Show and Best Theme, as well as a few Honorable Mentions. This year’s theme is “Awakening.”
This expansive theme should fire an artist’s imagination. The public will be able to vote for their favorite. The winner receives a “People’s Choice” ribbon.
Attendees may enjoy live music by Paula King’s angelic harp, sip wine or craft beer, and mingle with family, friends and the artists. At the event, attendees buy raffle tickets and then place them at the pieces of art they wish to win.
AAI came to life with the “Egg and the Eye” fundraiser not long after the AAI was founded in 1999. Co-founders Chris Trout and Grace Songolo invited artists to donate their painted/decorated egg, whether ostrich, emu, clay or whatever, to raise money for the organization.
This event morphed into the “Mask and the Eye,” the “Shoe and the Eye,” the “Window and the Eye” to its current evolution as the “Eye of the Artist” with its annually changing optional themes.
