Art of the Umbrella
THE ART OF GIVING
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Artists from throughout the Capital Region painted, decorated and donated one of a kind umbrellas for an auction in support of Umbrella of the Capital District & its mission of helping senior citizens and people with disabilities to live safely and comfortably in their own homes.
The second Art of the Umbrella auction was held in the GE Theater at Proctors on Friday, October 24, 2008 from 6pm to 9:30 pm.
An art gallery atmosphere with food and music provided the setting for a live auction whereby guests could bid and take home their favorite umbrella. People also had the opportunity to vote for the events overall favorite umbrellas. Two prizes were awarded to the winning artists. Janet Norman of Clifton Park won for her hand-painted umbrella “Le Carn.” BailyQuinn Curtis’ “Into Each Life” umbrella won for favorite hand-decorated. Along with the individual artists, The Chamber of Schenectady County, the Alzheimer’s Association and The YWCA of Schenectady submitted umbrellas representing their organizations.
The evening opened with a surprise fashion show. Model Carrie Barown appeared from behind the gigantic curtain of the GE Theater in a gothic gown that dazzled the audience. This masterpiece, designed by Amy Orr, was made from — what else — umbrellas. Master of Ceremonies Ben Pattan from Magic 100.9 took it from there and introduced auctioneer Trisha L. Williams. Working as a team they auctioned off all 37 umbrellas.
For this, our second Art of the Umbrella event we were very proud to have Mayor Brian U. Stratton as Honorary Chairperson. The event sponsors — KeyBank, M&T Bank, the Times Union, Zone 5, CDPHP, Glen Sanders Mansion and MNL Contracting — helped make the evening a glorious success. But it was the artists whose gifts of talent and time made this the unique event we hoped it would be.
For more information on how you can be part of this event, email Elaine Santore or call her at 518-346-5249.