Linda Bowman of Kindersley takes a good look at a three-panel photo featuring a near lost valley in Ireland at the Art Extravaganza fundraiser on Nov. 3 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The work of several local artists and contributors has gone up for auction to help raise money for an important building project within the community.
West Central Abilities Inc., an agency that provides services to adults living with disabilities, held its first Art Extravaganza fundraiser on Nov. 3 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Approximately 100 people attended the event including volunteers.
It was a night of the arts with a wide range of creative pieces up for auction, and live music throughout the evening by Jacqueline Veysey of Kindersley and Sam Motier of Glidden. The bidding was all done as part of a silent auction and only a handful of items had reserved bids in place.
[emember_protected for=”2″ custom_msg=’For more on this story, please see this week’s print edition of The Clarion.’]
Two of the items with reserved bids were paintings donated by Dean Francis of Sagebrush Studios near Empress, Alta. Francis, who has become well known for his prairie landscape visual art, is originally from Mantario, Sask.
One of the artist’s paintings called Tree Tops had a reserved bid of $750 and his other painting called Spirited Sky had a reserved bid of $800. The other items with reserved bids were not quite as high. A spokesperson says all but one auction item sold at the event, and both Francis paintings found a home that night.
There was a wide range of items in the auction. The items included paintings, photography, prints, crafts, carvings, pottery, cross-stitching and other homemade items. One person even donated a designer cake, and another individual donated homemade wine.
The bidding took place from 7 to 10 p.m., and then the sheets were pulled to signal the end of the auction. The event included a door prize for one lucky person and people also played games to win bottles of homemade wine.
Kim Edmunds, the agency’s executive director, addressed the crowd before the end of the auction. She told people that money raised at the event is for the new day program facility the agency has plans to build on the 100 block of First Ave. West. She recognized the guests for their support.
“Thank you for coming to our Art Extravaganza,” she said, noting that it was wonderful to see all of the wonderful creations donated by local artists on display at the event. “We have some amazing talent in our community.”
The agency now serves approximately 21 individuals with varying levels of disabilities, according to Edmunds. She said the agency offers its clients work and life skills training, and leisure and recreational opportunities among other services.
[/emember_protected]
