fresh stART Hosts 4th Annual Art Sale and Exhibition: Raises $129,000 to Benefit Local Artists, Arts-Related Therapies for At-Risk Children
fresh stART, the McCall Family Foundation’s signature fund-raising event, hosted its fourth annual art sale and exhibition Saturday, February 12, 2005 at the Santa Monica Art Studios. Featuring artwork from some of the country’s most collectible established and emerging artists, the two-hour event grossed $129,000 in sales, up 150 percent from the previous annual sale. Fifty percent of the sales price of each artwork sold benefited Los Angeles children’s charities My Friend’s Place and A Window Between World’s, with the remaining 50 percent going to the artists. Honorary Committee Chair Brooke Shields attended, as well as other celebrities including Danny Federman, Rachael Harris, Jennifer Westfeldt, John Hamm, Emily Procter, Sunrise Ruffalo and Dana Gould, among others.
LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) February 18, 2005 -- fresh stART, the McCall Family
Foundation’s signature fund-raising event, hosted its fourth annual art sale and
exhibition Saturday, February 12, 2005 at the Santa Monica Art Studios.
Featuring artwork from some of the country’s most collectible established and
emerging artists, the two-hour event grossed $129,000 in sales, up 150 percent
from the previous annual sale. Fifty percent of the sales price of each artwork
sold benefited Los Angeles children’s charities My Friend’s Place and A Window
Between World’s, with the remaining 50 percent going to the
artists.
“We’re immensely grateful for the tremendous support we’ve
received over the years, and this year is no exception,” says Cris McCall, fresh
stART founder, director and one of the show’s six curators. “A big thank you
goes out to Brooke Shields, our honorary chairperson, our honorary committee
members, organizers, sponsors, underwriters, artists, collectors, and the many
friends of fresh stART.”
With wide support in the local arts and
philanthropic communities, fresh stART brought together more than 1,000
hand-picked young professionals and collectors — from the areas of film, TV,
art, architecture, design, politics, fashion, and culinary arts — and 150 of the
country’s most collectible established and emerging contemporary artists.
Designed to stimulate the arts in Los Angeles by providing potential collectors
with a personal connection to selected artists, in addition to raising much
needed funds for Los Angeles-based charities, the lively forum provided
attendees a unique opportunity to view new contemporary works of art in a
variety of media while meeting participating artists and discussing their work.
At the Saturday event, Emily Procter, Dana Gould, Jennifer Westfeldt and
Jon Hamm were among celebrities who purchased art to support fresh stART.
Sunrise Ruffalo came away with five pieces, including works by Yong Sin,
Elizabeth O’Reilly and Kiel Johnson. Brooke Shields, this year’s honorary chair,
her husband, Chris Henchy, and daughter, Rowan, attended as a family to support
the young foundation whose 2005 beneficiaries included A Window Between Worlds
and My Friend’s Place. Other celebrity supporters, past and present, include
Sandra Bullock, Erick McCormack, Dan Federman, and Steven Webber. fresh stART
committee members include Wendie Malick, Jamie Lee Curtis, Victor Garber,
Jennifer Garner, Felicity Huffman, Donal Logue, Jesse Metcalfe, Janel Moloney,
Ron Rifkin, Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, Jennifer Westfeldt and Jon
Hamm.
Attendees also snapped up pieces from Guest Curator, Andrea Feldman
Falcione’s (Ovitz Family Collection) room including Ruby Osorio’s “Sanctuary,”
Mark Grotjahn’s “Untitled (Tiger),” Kelly McLane’s “Untitled (Happy Camper)” and
Helen Verhoeven’s “Sunday Best.” Other big sellers of the night include Bill
Barminski, Kim McCarty, Kahn & Selesnick, Jo Jackson and Susan Arena. The
invited artists, ranging from established names to younger artists whose work is
beginning to receive notice, were amassed by fresh stART’s curatorial team.
Among these artists were Marcos Alvarez, Lisa Bloomfield, Amelia Fleetwood
(daughter of Mick Fleetwood), Dylan Chatain, Seonna Hong, Mala Iqbal, Gegam
Kacherian, Bruce Kaplan, Martin Mull, Laura Ricci, Rachell Sumpter and Caroline
Hwang. “From the beginning, the reception we’ve had from artists and art dealers
has been generous and unfailingly supportive,” said Ashley McLean Emenegger,
co-curator.
Adds McCall: “Thanks to the overwhelming success of this
year’s show, by year’s end we’ll have made a significant positive impact on the
lives of at risk youth.”
After three years of gifting proceeds to a
single beneficiary, this year fresh stART selected two distinct beneficiaries to
share in what turned out to be its largest donation year since the
organization’s inception in 2001. The first, A Window Between Worlds, was
established in 1991 to provide art programs at domestic abuse shelters helping
thousands of children each year. Their Children’s Windows Program uses
art-therapy to enable children to tell their stories, express their feelings,
and rebuild self-esteem. fresh stART donations will support these programs in 30
Los Angeles County shelters.
The second
beneficiary, My Friend’s Place, is a drop-in resource center for homeless teens
based in Hollywood. Established in 1988, My Friend’s Place assists and inspires
homeless youth to build self-sufficient lives. fresh stART’s contribution will
fund a year’s worth of weekend art workshops for My Friend’s Place, which has
become the only drop-in resource center to provide a seven day continuum of care
for homeless youth in Southern California.
Cris McCall was inspired to
begin fresh stART after she heard a segment on National Public Radio about the
effectiveness of arts therapy-related programs in producing dramatically
positive results in the lives of abused youth. She was compelled to assist, to
the greatest extent possible, in this important work. Along with this altruistic
motivation, she realized as well that she had “a wide circle of friends who were
ready to take the step into collecting art, but had no idea where to begin. By
organizing a thoughtfully curated, well-priced art show, we could tap into a
willing audience who would be even more receptive because of the beneficiaries.”
fresh stART owes part of its success to its unique approach to
fundraising. The organization produces its signature annual sale and exhibition
on a modest budget and covers expenses through generous underwriting from
sponsors. This year’s event was underwritten through the generous support of
individuals and corporations including: Wolf Films; Lisa Alden; Barnes Morris
Klein Mark Yorn Barnes & Levine; Jeannie Brown; Nancy and Jason Cahill;
Creative Artists Agency; Audrey and Paul Hanneman; The Horchow Family Charitable
Trust; Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy; Maya Iwanaga
Pinkner and Jeff
Pinkner; Tiffiny Lendrum and Adam Eastwood; Meschures, Campeas, Thompson, Snyder
& Pariser, LLP; Rockfish Films, Inc.; Murray Smith and Kit Boss; Warner
Bros. Television; and Wintner Artist Management, among others. The evening’s bar
was hosted by Grey Goose Vodka and Southern Starz Vineyards; music and tasty
hors d'oeuvres were provided by "Weekend Becomes Eclectic" d.j. Anne Litt and
Très L.A., respectively.
About fresh stART
Founded in 2001, fresh
stART (www.freshstartweb.org), the annual fundraising event of the
McCall Family Foundation, is a one-night art exhibition and sale with two
distinct goals. Its primary goal is to fund programs that provide arts-related
therapies to children designated "at-risk." Secondly, fresh stART strives to
stimulate the arts in Los Angeles by providing potential collectors with a
personal connection to both established and emerging artists. The McCall Family
Foundation is a 501(c)(3). Sources of funding include the benefit exhibition and
private and corporate donations. fresh stART operates wholly through the efforts
of volunteers.
About A Window Between Worlds
A Window Between Worlds
was founded in 1991 in Venice, California, and is a non-profit organization
dedicated to using art to help end domestic violence. AWBW is the only
organization offering comprehensive training and ongoing support to domestic
violence programs wishing to use art as a healing tool for battered women and
children. Their Children’s Windows Program provides art workshops for thousands
of children each year. The program supports healing by providing children with
opportunities to tell their stories, express their feelings, and rebuild their
self-esteem. Additional information can be found at www.awbw.org.
About My
Friend’s Place
My Friend’s Place, based in Hollywood, California, is a
drop-in resource center established in 1988 to assist and inspire homeless youth
to build self-sufficient lives. With hundreds of homeless kids visiting their
center every week, they serve more teenagers and young adults than any other
facility in Southern California. With the introduction of art related
therapeutic workshops in 1990, My Friend’s Place has shown a marked increase in
success with homeless youth motivation to enter case-management, the first and
most crucial step to ending their homelessness. Additional information can be
found at www.myfriendsplace.org.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb209803.htm