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SPOTLIGHT EVENT DECEMBER 2009


spotlight: event

Stimulate Your Senses

Encounter new art and new wine in the new year
at an annual d’art center event.

By Kim Cuachon

Few could agree on a better way to ring in the New Year than broadening your sense of discovery. This January, try new art and new wine at d’ART Center, where the 2010 New Art, New Wine event allows patrons to browse the latest art created by the Center’s artists while sipping on a selection of more than 20 wines from international and local wineries.

The annual event presents an exciting “Incognito” theme this year on Jan. 16.
“We are challenging the guests to use their eye and not be distracted by the name of the artist,” says Susan Bernard, executive director of d’ART Center. The name of the artist will only be revealed to the buyers after they have purchased the piece. “It gives them a chance to test their own instincts—to look at the art for the art,” says Bernard.

Lynette Crain, one of the participating artists says that Incognito “is a very clever concept that the Center is proposing. It certainly makes original art available to patrons that are appealing for the senses rather than the ‘designer label.’”
Vonnie Whitworth, who plans on surprising patrons this year with her work, agrees. “I like the idea because it is something different. It puts everyone on the same playing ground, all the same price,” she says. Patrons can purchase an 8-by-10-inch, ready-to-frame original painting for only $110.

For the more modest art enthusiast, take a sigh of relief—you’re not the only person in the room who has no idea who the artist is. Bernard’s advice to novice patrons, as they peruse with a glass of wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres in hand, is to ask these questions: Does it appeal to you? Do the colors appeal to you? Is it a subject matter that you can be attracted to?

There is true value in selecting original art because “each one of these pieces has the artist’s hand on it,” says Bernard. “It doesn’t come from a production line; it doesn’t come from a mold or a kit. It has the essence of the artist in the piece.”

d’ART Center is located at 208 East Main St. in downtown Norfolk. Tickets for New Art, New Wine 2010 are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Call 757-625-4211 or visit www.d-artcenter.org for more information.HRM

 

 

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