Everybody likes a little art in their lives. That’s why the Beaufort County Arts Council is bringing back its Little Art Exhibit for the fourth straight year: popular demand.
The event is part fundraiser, part exhibit and a whole lot of fun, according to Joey Toler, executive director of the arts council.
“Passing out the work at the closing reception is exciting, and watching the bartering and swapping that happens as people trade pieces with each other is so much fun,” Toler said.
It’s not your average raffle, Toler explains, because the arts community at large is involved in the process from day one of planning. Over the next few weeks, any artist can pick up blank 8-inch by 12-inch canvases at the arts council. What they make of that canvas is their choice, said Toler, as long as they donate the finished work back to arts council by the March 15 deadline. The result is a broad range of pieces — in subjects, mediums and talent — that have consistently made for a fascinating three-day exhibit of all the work.
Based on past exhibits, Toler expects more than 200 canvases to sail out the arts council door, only to come back as little works of art weeks later. The works will then be sold to the public for $30 each or four pieces for $100. As people buy a piece (or four), they sign their name next to a number. Little pieces of art and new owners are matched up by random drawing and the work is handed out during a reception at the Washington Civic Center.
“That’s what makes it unique — no one knows what piece is theirs until the closing reception,” Toler explained.
The surprise factor, along with the quality of the art, may be why the fundraiser has been so successful, and the interest the event has generated in peer arts organizations only backs that up, Toler said.
“Arts council directors across the state willingly share successful ideas with each other and I’ve had requests from over a dozen organization about how we run this fundraiser,” he said.
Toler said he expects the canvases to sell out well before the closing reception on March 21, but right now he’s focused on getting the canvases out to artists.
Artists interested in participating in the Little Art Exhibit can pick up a canvas at the Beaufort County Arts Council, 108 Gladden Street, Washington, 252-946-2504. Canvases are due back by March 15, no later than 4 p.m.