Gala Invitational Art Exhibition

 

Left to right; hosts Lean & Adrian Martinez, chairs for the evening Joe and Betsy Niedziejko, and board president John McKenna.

 

 

It was a "Starry, Starry Night,"
see photos of this event!

 

It was another evening of fun and fundraising at the 24th Annual Invitational Art Exhibition and Gala, held on Saturday, April 12th. This year’s theme,“Van Gogh’s Blues,” brought a lot of attention to the art center especially since the evening included an exhibit of “pseudo” Van Goghs painted by a group of art honor students from East High School in West Chester. The students, who also created hand-painted furniture designs for the live auction, had an “in” with the Gala. Their art teacher, Joe Niedziejko, was co-chair with his wife Betsy. Another husband-wife team, Leah and Adrian Martinez, served as hosts of the evening.

 

Appropriately, the 24th Gala was one of the few times the organizers doubled as exhibitors – both Joe and Adrian were among the more than 100 artists invited to display their work. As for the public, nearly 200 people attended the event, complete with dinner and dancing - plus a special drink! With a nod to the saxophone “blues,” the wine bar featured a signature blue gin concoction especially made for the evening. (The drink looked a bit like Scope, but at least, no one attempted to recreate Van Gogh’s favorite green drink, absinthe!)

 

Thanks to the hard-working committee, there were a range of items for the evening’s silent and live auctions including live plants from CCAA's Blue Ribbon award winning Philadelphia Flower Show display . The silent auction table, in fact, was a venerable wish-list of items, from the “wearable” including handmade purses, jewelry and cosmetics to the “do-able,” including dining certificates, theater tickets and golf outings.

 

Among the more unusual live auction items were “four seasons” of flowers from Halladay Florists and a year’s worth of chocolates from Eclat Chocolates. There were also plenty of chances for a little down time including a private lunch with Philadelphia Eagle’s place kicker, David Akers, along with a private tour of Lincoln Financial Field, and a golf outing for three with the president of Chester County Chamber Business & Industry.

The Invitational Exhibit continues through June 13. Gallery hours

Monday – Saturday : 9:30am - 4:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays
Galleries are open to the public and admission is free.