Art raffle dinner returning for 2nd year
An event organized at the Butler Art Center & Gallery will have people waiting in suspense as they keep their eye on a piece of art that speaks to them.
The Art of the Draw was an event brought to the art center last year by Jennifer Spryn, who organized the event in Butler after seeing a similar event in Virginia. The event, a unique combination of a raffle and auction, was successful enough that the center is bringing it back for a round two Sept. 27.
Dozens of art pieces have been donated to the event by artists and collectors alike, and each will be available for the taking at the evening event. The catch is in the obtaining process — attendees can buy numbered tickets that, when called, give them access to choose from whatever art remains on the walls.
Spryn, the former treasurer of the Associated Artists of Butler County, said the event is exciting not only for attendees, but for the people who donate to put it together.
“It involves all of the artists of the art center because they donate all the art,” Spryn said. “In a sense, we’re all coming together to help fund the art center, and that results in a really fun activity for the ticket holders.”
The Art of the Draw will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Art Center, 344 S. Main St. in Butler. Tickets cost $50 for one go at the art pile, and subsequent ticket purchases are $25 each. Spryn said there are as many tickets for sale as art pieces up for auction at the event.
Courtney McNamara, marketing and education director at the art center, said this year’s event will take on a 1920s theme, and guests are encouraged to dress in formal attire.
“It’s ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz,’ almost like a 1920s Gatsby theme,” McNamara said. “We're going to have waiters bring around wine and hors d'oeuvres... a live jazz band doing music from that era.”
The fun of the night is built upon for attendees who Spryn said will likely be biting their nails in hopes that their number will be called early enough to get the art piece they want most. According to Spryn, last year’s Art of the Draw was a big fundraiser because of the high return the art center saw from ticket sales.
Spryn said there will be some fun twists on the drawing process this year, and people will be able to see on a projector screen which piece a person chooses.
“You hold your breath and you wait to see what was chosen,” Spryn said. “Are they going to choose the one I want, am I going to be next? It’s exciting. That’s why having the projected image on the wall of the one that was chosen, I think it’s going to be good this year.”
To get advance tickets to the Art of the Draw, visit butlerartcenterandgallery.org. Tickets may also be available at the door on the night of the event.
