The Beaufort County Arts Council is bringing back the Little Art Exhibit because of popular demand.

The third-annual Little Art Exhibit fundraiser will not be open to the public until March, but already patrons are starting to line up for an opportunity to own an original work of art at a price everyone can afford.

The Little Art Exhibit will be open to the public at the Washington Civic Center March 13 through March 15. A closing reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. March 15 for those who have purchased canvases. All work will be distributed at that time. Purchasers do not have to be present to receive their work. Artists who would like to participate or patrons who would like to purchase work from the exhibit are asked to call the arts council at 252-946-2504 or visit its office at 108 Gladden St., Washington.

Almost 200 8-inch-by-10-inch canvases have been distributed to artists up and down the coast of North Carolina and beyond, with more being picked up daily. Each artist will create an original work of art and donate the piece to BCAC for sale during the fundraiser. Each work will be sold to the public for $30, or patrons may purchase four works for $100. What makes the fundraiser unique is that purchasers will not know which pieces are theirs until the closing reception.

“Each year, the event has been a blast, especially for those who purchased art,” said Joey Toler, BCAC executive director. “The distribution of the work is fast and furious, and the bartering and swapping that occurred as patrons traded work amongst each other is fun to observe.”

Although Toler had intended for the fundraiser to be a biennial event, he was persuaded to bring it back for 2011 because of encouragement by the artists.

“I was thinking of the artists when I said we would do it once every two years because I didn’t want to ask too much of them, but they’re the ones who wanted to do it again,” he said. “And since they are the ones who make this event a success, who was I to say no?”

BCAC expects to have close to 250 works for sale this year, up from approximately 200 last year, and it expects to sell out before the exhibit takes place in March.

Tayloe’s Hospital Pharmacy is the 2012 Little Arts Exhibit fundraiser’s exclusive corporate partner, and that is a great boost to BCAC’s bottom line.

“Every fundraiser has its expenses, and Tayloe’s offer to help makes a big difference. They really are great supporters of BCAC, and the community in general,” said Toler.

Another incentive is the offer of Lone Leaf Custom Framing and Gallery’s to frame any work purchased at the Little Art Exhibit at a 25-percent discount off regular prices. Lone Leaf is located 101 W. Main St. in downtown Washington.