cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
DURHAM -- Durham Art Guild Director Taj Forer said that the timing of the organization's Sweet Arts fundraiser could not be more fitting. When the Guild planned the event around a Mardi Gras theme, it had no inkling that the New Orleans Saints would win this year's Super Bowl title.
All things New Orleans will be reflected at this year's event whose theme is "Arti Gras ... we've had a change of Art." The Art Guild has taken many steps to make the Bull City look for one night like The Big Easy. "There's lots of decoration. The culinary theme is New Orleans influenced" and is both "sweet and savory," Forer said.
One of the food entrees will be a homemade gumbo by a New Orleans native. Several local artists have made Mardi Gras masks that will be auctioned as part of the fundraiser. Partygoers also will hear jazz, zydeco and other New Orleans-inspired music.
And, of course, the event will have plenty of sweets from local restaurants and bakeries.
"One thing we've really tried to do this year is make sure the evening is accessible to everyone," Forer said. "We've tried to allow for a number of auction items that are of lower price points than one usually expects for a fundraiser."
Saturday's fundraiser will have a silent and a live auction. Among the items are Durham Bulls tickets, dining packages, and vacations to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, and a week in a private home in Sedona, Ariz.
The Guild recently received an auction item donation from the North Carolina Museum of Art. Auction participants will be able to bid on a lunch for six at the museum restaurant with the director, and a private tour of the renovated museum and its collections sometime after the museum reopens in April.
This year's event also has several new features. There will be a raffle for 12 gift certificates to 12 of the area's most well known restaurants. The idea is that a couple can go every month to an area restaurant for a full year, Forer said. Also new this year, each ticket purchased includes three drink tickets.
Sweet Arts is the Durham Art Guild's only fundraiser, and proceeds support the nonprofit organization's programs. They include member exhibits, a juried art show and solo exhibits. The Art Guild also administers an artist-in-residence program at Golden Belt and sponsors an exhibit by that artist at the Art Guild space.
