SEQUIM — Olympic Theatre Arts will show off a wide selection of regional artwork tonight in a preview of the inaugural fundraiser, “Heart for the Arts.”
The pieces will be available for public viewing at an artists’ reception, which is free and open to the public from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave. The artwork will be in silent and live auctions on Saturday, at a ticketed event where fine food and beverage pairings will be served to donors before and after the auction.
Tickets are $75 per person and are available online at www.olympictheatrearts.org or at the box office from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Olympic Theatre Arts.
Today guests can get a sneak peak of the items up for both live and silent auction and enjoy refreshments before the annual fundraiser and event from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the theater.
“Heart for the Arts” kicks off the evening with culinary arts by Jonathon Pabst of Pacific Pantry from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, when guests can enjoy crafted pairings of gourmet tastes with local wines while viewing juried 3-D art for silent auction.
A live auction featuring 18 items — many of them works of art by local artists — will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Others are Christmas trees and gift certificates.
The silent auction will offer 25 items, most artwork.
The evening will end with a “culinary encore” from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., when guests will be served three prepared desserts paired with wine and cider.
“I am so impressed with all the talented artists we have living on the Olympic Peninsula,” said committee member Jan Unruh.
“It’s been an honor to share our fundraiser vision with them.
“I’m deeply touched with the response we’ve had for donations.”
Tammy Hall, October’s featured artist at Harbor Arts Gallery in Port Angeles, has contributed “a masterpiece of complexity” in the form of a Pegasus built completely of driftwood, said Pete Griffin, marketing manager.
Hall took on the challenge of driftwood sculpture about five years ago and since then has created driftwood creatures such as horses, eagles, rabbits, a unicorn, and even a mermaid and a giant Pacific octopus.
Her donated art piece is estimated at $2,500 in value.
David Johannessohn created a mobile consisting of 10 handcarved wooden fish, each almost a foot long.
“I was surprised after watching it that it has many characteristics of an aquarium,” Johassnnessohn said.
“I really enjoyed building it and watching it. I had no place to display it, so when I was asked to donate it, I thought it was going to a worthy cause.”
Johannessohn’s piece is estimated at a value of $2,000.
Fiber sculptor Terri Biondolino has donated a seemingly life-size pelican made of wool.
“Sculpting with wool is a time-consuming but incredibly rewarding art,” Biondolino said. “A piece this size takes hundreds of hours to create.”
All her wool comes to her in white and she dyes and blends to the specifications for each piece.
Biondolino shows her art at Blue Hole Gallery in Sequim. Her donated piece is estimated at a value of $750.
Fascinated by multi-level art that draws the viewer’s eye to a focus point, Kevin B. Willson has donated a metal sculpture, “Boxes.” Willson shows his art at Harbor Arts Gallery in Port Angeles. Kevin’s sculpture is valued at $700.
Metal sculptors Tim Bullion and Troy Tossland have created a steampunk clock made of copper and brass and a metal dragonfly over 3 feet long, respectively.
Wood carver Don Hall has contributed a handcarved and painted giraffe, and Kevin and Hilary Jones have donated two bas relief wood carvings, “Freedom” and “Dreams.”
For more information about “Heart for the Arts,” call the theater box office at 360-683-7326.
Tammy Hall poses with “Pegasus.”
David Johannessohn shows his fish mobile.
