PONCHO newsletter

January 2007

The PONCHO calendar is filling up with some very special events celebrating the visual arts. The month will kick off on January 29 with a display of PONCHO art in downtown Macy*s windows and culminate on March 3rd with the 6th Annual PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction. Get out your calendars and plan on indulging yourself with a feast of the Northwest’s very best art.

The PONCHO Invitational Fine Art Auction is the showcase of PONCHO’s support for visual arts organizations and Northwest artists. It’s become the place to be for great art, great friends and a great cause, bringing local artists, gallery owners, collectors and art patrons together in a fun and casual atmosphere to enjoy each others’ company and raise funds for the arts in our community. PONCHO would like to thank Safeco Insurance for its third year of presenting this event.

“We are pleased that so many artists have donated their work to help PONCHO support the arts that we enjoy in our community,” pointed out Shannon Flora, Auction Co-chair. “We couldn’t continue to raise money for the arts if it weren’t for the generosity of these artists.”

This year, the event will take place at a new venue, Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Pier 66. Doors will open at 5:00 pm.

To reserve your tickets, use our secure online registration or contact Inna at 206-623-6233 ext. 203 or inna@poncho.org for benefits and more information.

We are pleased to showcase the work of some of the Northwest’s finest artists at a special Preview of the PONCHO Art Auction at the ESCALA Presentation Center, located at 4th and Stewart downtown. The Preview is sponsored in part by Masins.

Open to the public, the preview opening reception will be on Thursday, February 15th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, where guests can view the art and meet some of the artists. The art will be available for viewing at all other times from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm until February 23rd.

Approximately 30 artists will participate in the preview representing established and emerging artists throughout the area. All of the art will be available to purchase at the PONCHO Art Auction, on Saturday, March 3rd at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Pier 66.

“We are very fortunate to have a partner like ESCALA which is so passionate about the arts,” said Reed Alexander Atkin, Auction Co-chair. “Their contribution of the space not only gives us a central location for the preview but also a great way to show off the art – on the walls and spectacular spaces of the ESCALA model home.”

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Inna at the PONCHO office at 206-623-6233 ext. 203 or inna@poncho.org.

Looking for art in all the wrong places? Then the place you need to be is the 2nd Annual free “Got Art” workshop presented by PONCHO and the Seattle Art Museum.

“Collecting art is both emotional and practical,” noted PONCHO Art Auction Co-chair Shannon Flora. “We all want to buy art that we love but at the same time, we want to pay what is reasonable. The workshop is designed to provide advise that will make the whole experience more satisfying.”

The “Got Art” workshop will feature panelists Susan Grover of Grover Thurston Gallery; Judith Kindler - Artist, Collector and PONCHO IFA Committee Member; and Jody Bento - SAM Rental/Sales Gallery Coordinator; and will be moderated by Sandra Jackson-Dumont, SAM’s Deputy Director for Education and Public Programs.

“We’ve asked each of the panelists to share their personal experience with how they began collecting and what they learned along the way,” said Sandra Jackson-Dumont. “Our goal for the workshop is to help make collecting art less intimidating and more approachable for collectors at any level.”

The workshop is free (with your RSVP) and will be held at the Olympic Sculpture Garden Pavilion on February 22, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Inna at the PONCHO office at 206-623-6233 ext. 203 or inna@poncho.org

Macy*s has been a long-time supporter of PONCHO and our mission of providing vital support to the arts and artists in our community. For the fourth year in a row, Macy*s has donated their display windows to promote the works of art available at the PONCHO Art Auction.

Make sure to stop by Downtown Macy*s (4th and Stewart Street windows) from January 29 through February 20 and check out the special miniature works and sculptures available at the PONCHO Art Auction.

PONCHO thanks Michael Madden, Macy*s’ Visual & Fashion Coordinator and the entire Visual Team for their creative vision and hard work. We are thankful for Macy*s help in creating the environment where innovation and creativity are embraced in all aspects of our lives.

Photo credits:
Content photos: Art Auction image by Fay Jones for PONCHO; Macy*s Window Art - Miniature painting by Mark O'Connell, "The Taste - #1" (photo by Team Photogenic); Art Preview image - Painting by Michael Schultheis, "Opening Toroids 09.01"; Olympic Sculpture Park - image of the PACCAR Pavilion.

Layout photography courtesy of our beneficiaries: ArtsWest, photo by Drew Lienau; Northwest Girlchoir, photo by William Stickney; 5th Avenue Theatre Lobby.