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(Posted 3 p.m., Oct. 30)
Spooktacular
ARTinis gala benefits local artists
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 AOE
Arts Council executive director Victoria Steele
holds up a glass skull during the opening
of the ARTinis fundraisng soirée Thursday
niight. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
east end’s glitterati turned out at the Shenkman
Arts Centre Thursday night to celebrate the arts and raise
a few dollars for the AOE Arts Council at the 7th annual
ARTinis soirée.
Supporters
paid $75 each to listen to live music, nosh on fine food
and sip their favourite cocktail while rubbing elbows
with the likes of Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, Ottawa-Orléans
MPP Marie-France Lalonde and newly-elected Orléans
MP Andrew Leslie.
This
is the first year that the event took on a Hallowe’en
theme, with many of the patrons dawning for the occasion.
According
to AOE executive director Victoria Steele, the event raised
over $40,000. The money will be used to help the AOE in
its continued support of local artists.
“This is our biggest fundraising event of the year.
We have lot of other events, but this is the biggest one,”
said Steele.
Planning
for this year’s event started as soon as last year’s
gala was over. A committee of dedicated volunteers takes
care of everything from booking the caterers and musical
talent, to raising all the items for the silent auction
and decorating the room.
Some
of the added touches this year were a trio of pumpkin
carvers in keeping with the Hallowe’en theme, and
a make-up station provided by On Scene FX where patrons
could get their ghoul on.
Musical
entertainment was provided by the Miguel de Armas Latin
Jazz Quartet.
The
Arts Council will soon be launching kicking off the second
year of its successful Arts Place program which places
artists in non-traditional spaces and allows them to share
their with non-profit groups and organizations for the
benefit of the entire community.
The
program had six artists-in-residence in its inaugural
year who worked with six different non-profit groups including
the Amethyst Women’s Addiction Centre; Immigrant
Women Services Ottawa; Résidence Saint-Louis; the
Zonta Club of Ottawa; The Ottawa Mission and Hospice Care
Ottawa; and the Élisabeth-Bruyère Residence.
For
more information about the AOE Arts Council and the important
work they do in supporting local artists visit their website
at www.artsoe.ca.
(This
story was made possible thanks to their generous support
of our local business partners.)
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