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Santa Fe, NM
Eldorado Hotel & Spa, February 27-28

Jennifer Davenport, Inside-Out, acrylic, 30 x 30.

This story was featured in the February 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

On Saturday, February 27, ARTsmart New Mexico presents its 19th annual February fundraising weekend, with an Art of Home Tour and its 25th anniversary dinner and auction. A fundraiser for the nonprofit—whose mission is to empower and transform lives by teaching art, literacy, and life skills—the gala kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Eldorado Hotel & Spa in historic downtown Santa Fe. The evening includes a reception and dinner, a silent auction, and a live auction and is attended by this year’s guest chair, “Without Reservations” cartoonist Ricardo Caté.

The evening event is a celebration of and advocacy for arts for youth. Attendees are treated to dinner with food stations that feature chef-created dishes paired with fine wines. After the entrée, guests continue the exploration of the arts (of the culinary variety) with desserts created by Santa Fe High School culinary students. “Getting teenage kids that like what they are doing and giving them exposure to adults who are interested in what they are doing gives them some confidence,” says board member Kate Collins. “I am really interested to see what they’ll come up with!”

Joyce Robins, Necklace, tagua nuts/coral, 18 inches.

The big events for the evening are the live and silent auctions, which include an original sculpture by this year’s honorary artist, John Geldersma, as well as wooden sculptures by students he mentored. Returning this year is the highly coveted student tableware—hand-painted plates, platters, and, for the first time this year, bowls—from Santa Fe fifth graders. “This year we have more variety of size and type of ware than ever before,” Collins says. Also up for bid are entertainment packages, culinary offerings, and artwork from local galleries, including the pieces shown here. Four to six talented high-school art students, invited by co-chair and former honorary artist Rebecca Tobey, each create a painting during the evening. These pieces are also offered in the live auction.

Art lovers can also attend the Art of Home Tour, sponsored in partnership with Keller Williams and local art galleries. The tour, from noon to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, features 12 homes, each matched up with a participating gallery to furnish artworks for the home, many of which are available for sale.

Over the years ARTsmart has raised more than $4.4 million for student art programming in Santa Fe. “And,” Collins notes enthusiastically, “we know where every nickel goes!” —Laura Rintala

contact information
505.992.2787
www.artsmartnm.org

Featured in the February 2016 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art February 2016 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.