Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Art Space News: Paint-A-Thon in Chicago


Olga Stefan- the Executive Director of the Chicago Artists' Coalition (www.caconline.org)- sent me some information about the first Sunday afternoon Paint-A-Thon in Chicago. The Paint-A-Thon offers the public a chance to observe a room full of accomplished Chicago artists as they work. Observers can mingle with the painters and bid on their artwork. It appears to be a unique experience for both the patrons and the artists.

The Paint-A-Thon is styled like a walk-a-thon. Donors sponsor individual artists in painting before the public, while the public has the opportunity to bid on the artwork. The Paint-A-Thon is different than many art auctions where the artists are asked to donate their work entirely. This event allows individual artists to receive 25% of the highest collected bid for their artwork. The remaining 75% goes to support the CAC. Thus, the event supports the painters as well as CAC.

The Chicago Artists' Coalition is a great service organization that supports artists and provides art programming to the public in Chicago. This visual arts organization is one of the most active that I've observed. I met several of their representatives while attending the Artist Project exhibit in Chicago. CAC fulfills a highly-valued and much-needed position in the Chicago art community.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin

No comments: