ARTS COUNCIL OF BIG SKY
BIG SKY – The Arts Council of Big Sky is hosting its second annual fundraising gala on March 28, at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. Held from 5-9 p.m., Crawfish and Cornbread will celebrate Cajun culture and the city of New Orleans.
A “quick finish” session will start the evening, featuring Montana painters Tom Gilleon, Todd Connor, Shirley Wempner, Laurie Stevens and Tom Thornton, along with sculptor Greg Woodard. The artists will finish their work on the theater stage, and professional auctioneer Emory Saunders will auction off the finished works later in the evening, along with selected completed pieces from other artists.
ACBS Executive Director Brian Hurlbut encourages people to come early and watch as the pieces come to life, and then are finished and framed on the WMPAC stage, and not to miss the Cajun-style dinner provided by Buck’s T-4. At 7:30 p.m., jazz singer Eden Atwood, along with the Glen Johnston Swing Band, will take the stage.
The inaugural event sold $23,000 in original artwork, and ACBS President Tallie Lancey anticipates even better results this year. Half of the auction proceeds will go directly to ACBS to help offset the costs of producing more than 15 events throughout the year, many of which are free.
Lancey says the fundraiser makes a statement about the direction the arts council is headed, explaining that the volunteer-driven nonprofit is comprised of a “group of passionate individuals who work to serve the artistic and cultural demands of [the] entire community.”
“Heading into our 25th year, we’re listening to the desires of our community by expanding our programming to include more disciplines of the arts,” Lancey said.
Big Sky Sotheby’s International Realty sponsors the event. Creighton Block Gallery and the Gallatin River Gallery, both located in the Big Sky Town Center, are helping bring the artists to town.
Tickets are now available via phone at (406) 995-2742.
