Recap: 2015 Paint Around Gala & Auction

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Allies4Art (A4A) in conjunction with Friends of Dance, hosted the Paint-Around Gala and Auction. This exciting event featured local artists who worked in a circle around models from the Department of Dance as a live jazz trio played in the background. Each time the music stopped, the artists moved to the next canvas. This continued until they came back to complete their original work. The dynamic final pieces were auctioned off at the event.

The evening also featured a live dance performance, which added to the exciting and festive atmosphere of the event. Another contributing factor to the high-energy evening were the masters of ceremonies, Dr. David Gussak and Mr. David Gilchrist (and, of course, David Gilchrist’s hat, featured below). Architect Andy Welch, a vital member of A4A, designed the layout of the space and Aramak Catering provided food and wine.

“More importantly than anything else, I tied my first bowtie. Forty-five minutes and four youtube videos before I got it!”- Dr. Gussak.

The Paint-Around Gala and Auction is a bi-annual event. In 2013, $12,000 was raised. “The Caliber of work produced this year was higher,” said Dr. Gussak, which certainly contributed to over $15,000 being raised; 50% more than in previous years! The money will be shared between the Department of Art Education and the Department of Dance, and will fund scholarships, conferences, and travel funds. All of the money raised will be for student use only.

Community response to the event was positive and expectations are high for 2017! The Friends of Dance contributors, Deb Lackter and Joyce Fausae along with Dr. Carolyn Henne and Dr. David Gussak (representatives of A4A), were vital to the success of the event. Of course, without the artists themselves, the event would not have been possible. Carrie Ann Baade, Marina Brown, Audra Pittman, Eluster Richardson, and Noah Verrier truly rose to the challenge and created five beautiful pieces.Thanks also goes out to the models, dancers, artists’ assistants, and other volunteers.

To see more of the artists’ work, visit https://cfa.fsu.edu/2015-paint-around-gala-auction/.