Show Preview | Art for Life

Denver, CO
Abend Gallery, May 29

Mike Wise, Back Road, oil, 12 x 16.

Mike Wise, Back Road, oil, 12 x 16.

This story was featured in the May 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2015 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

Abend Gallery hosts its annual 
Art for Life show this month with 100 paintings by locally and nationally known artists on view. The proceeds from the sales benefit Project Angel Heart. Founded in 1991, Project Angel Heart delivers meals to Coloradans with life-threatening illnesses, helping them receive the nutrition they need to recover and get stronger. What started out as a cadre of community members delivering lasagna to 12 individuals living with HIV/AIDS has expanded into a thriving program that prepares specialized meals for about 2,400 clients in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas—people dealing with cancer; kidney, heart, or lung disease; or other serious illnesses. The benefit event takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 29. Guests dine on gourmet delights and observe the artists at work as they sketch and paint live models throughout the evening. These unique figurative pieces are then auctioned off straight from the easels.

Among this year’s participating artists are Zoa Ace, Sean Conrad, Gordon Brown, and Matthew Saba. Landscape painter Mike Wise is participating in the show for the first time and says that after he and his wife researched the organization’s mission, he decided it was something he could support wholeheartedly. “We live in a rural area of the Northwest and are surrounded by beautiful family farms that have sustained our communities for decades, many of which continue to do so,” Wise says. “In that spirit, we’ve sent a farm scene for the event.”

This is the 14th anniversary of the show, and since its inception, Art for Life has raised more than $1 million for the organization. Erin Pulling, the organization’s president and chief executive officer, explains that the $1 million raised translates into tens of thousands of meals. “People love Art for Life,” Pulling says, “the talent that is represented, the incredible food and cocktails, and the great energy in the gallery. But I think they also love knowing that their participation is truly helping to save lives. This event has helped to raise our profile in the community and, as a result, serve more people in need.” —Bonnie Gangelhoff

contact information
303.355.0950
www.projectangelheart.org

Featured in the May 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art May 2015 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!

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