Happy Early Spring! (According to local celebrity Punxsutawney Phil anyway!)
As always we are very busy with many activities at ArtsAltoona! We had two very successful events on February 7th hART Shop & Eat, a free vendor shopping event with food available for purchase mid-day, and hART Shop Happy Hour, a ticketed evening event with vendors, beverages, music and food. A huge “Thank You” to all who helped! Your contributions resulted in just over $3000. raised for ArtsAltoona! First and foremost, thanks to our fabulous board member and Marketing Chair, Kim Aboud, who lead the way for this event. Her organization skills, attention to detail and sense of style made all of this possible. Thanks also to board member Andrea Cohen for her amazing generosity – from donating the use of the Station Medical Center, contributing much of her own time, as well as the time and skills of Kelly O’Brien, who assisted greatly with organizing the vendors and creating marketing materials and Jeff Bryan, facilities manager at the Station Medical Center, to personal financial contributions.
Thanks to John Seely of Empowering Lives Foundation and Chef Tom Schilling for collaborating on the terrific food offerings, as well as Don Delozier for donating desserts from the US Hotel Tavern. We had many wonderful vendors with a great variety of items available for Valentine’s Day shopping. Thanks to Program Director Gwen Fisher, Development Specialist Lexi Triforo and frequent volunteer Vicky Buda for their assistance in many ways. The Altoona Brass Collective members graciously donated their considerable talents to provide music for the evening. Thank you also to all of the board members who donated baskets or cash, bought or sold tickets and attended the event.
Another board member has stepped up to raise some funds for ArtsAltoona. Chelsea Kerr, owner of Kerr Kreations, is planning some special design workshops at her business with the proceeds to go to us. Watch our Facebook page for more information and please help us spread the word. Chelsea’s design work is stunningly beautiful, so we know these workshops will likely be sold out!
Our work with the awesome Sheetz Fellows continues for the Color Putt. This family friendly golf putting only event is going to be a lot of fun. It is scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at the Sylvan Hills Golf Course. There will be three flights during the day. Each flight will consist of 18 teams of three members each. There will be an awards ceremony at the conclusion of each flight with food and beverages. Sponsors are needed to make the event financially successful, the registration fee for each player ($40 for players under 21 and $60 for players 21 and up) basically just covers our costs. Please go to our brand new website www.colorputt.com, register your team and consider becoming a sponsor at the Hole Sponsor level or higher.
Our first After School Arts Program for 2019 officially started at the Altoona Area Public Library on February 5th with Lynne Magee, an amazing local watercolor artist as instructor. Lynne is part of the Artist in Residence program at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art who they generously granted us access to for our classes. Board member Jennifer Knisely is hosting the program at the library for this round of ten classes. It is very convenient for the junior high students to walk over to the library after school. Thanks Jennifer. Board member and Education Committee Chair Annie Bickel has been doing a great job of organizing, coordinating, recruiting and planning the classes. Thanks Annie! We would welcome more volunteers and committee members if you or someone you know would be interested, just let me know. Plans are beginning to be made for the next round of classes. Please help spread the word when you see it posted on Facebook or Instagram!
Our work on the conversion of the historic Kress Building into our Studio Arts Center continues. Some interesting items have recently surfaced in the building – more about all that next time…
Stay safe, stay warm and it really will be Spring soon!
Yours for ArtsAltoona,
Donna