TCAC auction event with Celebration of the Arts

A few of the items up for auction at the Celebration of the Arts event.

OLEAN, N.Y. — As the Tri County Arts Council (TCAC) continues to advocate for the entire region, officials announced the annual auction will be held as part of the Celebration of the Arts (COTA) event at the Pearl City Clay House, 220 E. 2nd St., in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, this year, at 4 p.m. Aug. 13. The event will continue to honor artists, arts organizations, or arts supporters from Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties.

Tickets for the Celebration Of The Arts are $45 apiece, or two for $80, and are available at https://www.tricountyartscouncil.org/product-category/ticket/

Nominations for the TCAC’s Arts and Cultural Awards were recently announced and winners will be presented at the event.

Nominations for the Thomas Barnes Lifetime Achievement are Betsy Cashing of Southern Tier Symphony; Robin Zefers Clark of Brookside Studio Watercolors; Ruth Fuller of Olean Community Theater; Sarah Phillips of Auntie’s Place in Rushford; Helen Ruggieri, a poet from Olean; and Glenn Zweygardt, a sculptor from Alfred Station. The Thomas Barnes Lifetime Achievement award is named after longtime Arts Council board president.

Nominations for the Distinguished Artist of the Year are Lucy Andrus, founder/coordinator of the Art Discovery program in Brocton; Sean Conklin of the St. Bonaventure University Quick Center; Sean Huntington as a painter; Peter Jones for pottery; and Mikel Wintermantel as a painter.

The Nominations for Excellence in Arts Education are: Laurie Donner, The Dancer’s Loft dance studio; Ruth Fuller, Hinsdale Central School; Shelley Greene, director of children studies at Neighborhood School of Dance; Kellie O’Brien, Olean City Schools District; Geraldine Smith of Olean; and Diane Willard of Wellsville Central School District.

The Nominations for Volunteer of the Year Award are: Ruth Flood of Allegany, Julie Hamilton of Ellicottville, Melissa Locke of Allegany, Scott Reed of Allegany, and Eric Van Druff of Cuba.

The Program of the Year award will honor the achievement, dedication, and creativity of an individual or organization from each county of the three counties. The Nominations are: Allegany Artists Association and Palmer Opera House in Allegany County; Artist in Residency Program at Seneca Iroquois National Museum in Cattaraugus County; “Artistic Explorers” at the St. Bonaventure Quick Center for the Arts in Cattaraugus County; the Art Discovery program of Tri-Church Parish in Chautauqua County; and the Darwin R. Barker Library Oral History Project in Chautauqua County.

Over 40 items are up for auction including: “Whispers in the Dark” and “Evening Dreams” by Mikel Wintermantel; artistry and creativity in wool by Laurie Donner; four admission tickets to the Aquarium of Niagara; an 11 in. x 14 in. custom house or building portrait by Victoria F. Swier; Bucket of Tools from Worth W. Smith and 4 passes to Rock City Park, Adult and Kids Art Kit, bookbinding workshop with Deb Eck for five of your friends; “Baby Thoughts” by Glenn Zweygardt; Flower Vase by Geraldine Nash Smith; Blue Wool Bag, with shoulder strap and matching Wallet by Eileen Weishan; “Evening Reflection” by Sherri Geary; “Radios/Metronome” by Tara Walker; landscape painting by Wanda Dean; blue pottery set by Peter Midgley; “Love You More” handcrafted necklace by Penny Minner; purple/teal pour painting by Amanda Hulbert; forest print by Michael Weishan; “Purple Queen” by Brooke Shumway; and a White and Alexandra Gift Basket.

Bidding is now live and will continue until 7 p.m. on Aug. 13. Donations help TCAC continue to bring arts to the region. The auction can be found online at: https://app.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/tri-county-arts-council-cota-auction-37978

The current gallery show, “The Real Ethereal World,” features collages by Sara Baker Michalak from Chautauqua County. Michalak’s collages reflect the fluidity of form in the natural world and at the interfaces of the natural and built environments. She holds a BFA from RIT’s School for American Crafts and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Humanities/Geoscience) from SUNY Fredonia.

The Tri County Arts Council, 110 W. State St., Olean, is always adding artists to Artist Market. For more information on this and any other exhibits at the TCAC, visit www.tricountyartscouncil.org or call (716) 372-7455.

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