Art in the Heart of the City

For those looking to get a jump-start on the busy holiday season, the Saginaw Art Museum will help kick-off PRIDE in Saginaw’s Holiday in the Heart of the City weekend with a special exhibition series and fundraising event that will feature six exhibitions of contemporary work held throughout the past calendar year.

Slated for Thursday, November 18th from 5:30 – 8:30 PM, artists contributing original artwork to be auctioned off during this event will be eligible to be awarded gallery space in the Exhibition Series, with jurors consisting of a committee of anonymous professional and art advisors.

The general public is invited to wear jeans, enjoy pizza and beverages, and watch artists working live in a relaxed environment during this interactive experience. Adults can participate in live and silent auctions of artwork from regional artists; white youth can create art projects and watch films in the Creative Fun Area. 

Adults are encouraged to contribute a suggested $20 at the door and youth (15 and under) are welcome to free admission. According to museum officials, this fundraising event keeps the Museum moving forward by benefiting the educational and cultural programs at the Museum, while reinforcing its mission of providing Art for All.

The Silent Auction will run from 5:30 to 7:15 PM and be followed by a Live Auction at 7:30 PM. Held in the memory of arts advocate Kenneth D. Smith, local businesses will provide pizza and refreshments and McDonald’s Restaurant will be on hand providing drinks and art activities for children.

Artists participating in the Exhibition Series whom donate artwork to the museum’s fundraising event are eligible to receive a 7-and-a-half week display in one of the three second floor Museum galleries. The top 15 auction items that raise the most funds during the Silent Auction will receive this space. Three artists will exhibit their work simultaneously, each receiving a separate designated gallery space during one of the five available time periods.

The five artwork donations chosen by the jurors for the Live Auction will receive one joint 8-week exhibition in the Sargent Exhibition Wing Gallery and an opening reception during an After Hours @ the Museum event, held between March 25 to May 22, 2011.

Artists awarded exhibition space will be announced the night of the event, with all artists being notified of results following the event.

Artists may donate an unlimited amount of artwork and 2D and 3 D artwork will also be accepted. Each piece will be considered as one separate auction item and the jurors reserve the right to combine artwork into one auction item, or to separate the pieces based upon estimated value.

Each piece will begin with the same $20 minimum bid and increase in $5 bid increments for the Silent Auction. In the event that artwork is not bid upon, the artwork will be returned to the artist. Donations are tax-deductible and all proceeds will go to benefit the Saginaw Art Museum. Artists contributing artwork must have it delivered to the Museum by Friday, November 12th.

Artist registration forms are available at the Museum or online at www.saginawartmuseum.org/calendar/ahc.php. Registered artists will receive two free passes to the event available at the door on the evening of the event.

Art in the Heart of the City has become an opportunity for an artist’s work to become part of private and public collections. The Exhibition Series hopes to extend that opportunity throughout the year by exhibiting the wonderful talents and artwork by regional artists, who promote and supports arts and culture not only throughout the Great Lakes Bay but also across the entire State of Michigan.

The Museum has also planned educational programming surrounding these exhibitions for school children ages six to twelve. Youth will be able to experience first-hand the artwork created by local artists through tours and classroom activities led by the artists and instructors.

Participants will learn about the elements of art and principles of design, as well as valuable tools focusing on life skills and careers.

For more information, please call The Saginaw Art Museum at 989-754-2491. The Museum is located at 1126 N. Michigan Ave., Saginaw.