The 10th annual fundraiser for West Nebraska Arts Center, “Art in the Courtyard”, will be held Sunday, September 17th, at Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fifteen plus artists will show and sell their work. The event will feature art demonstrations throughout the day and of course artwork for sale. Local and regional artists are invited to call Barn Anew or WNAC to sign up for a booth and late comers are welcome. Booth fees are a minimum $25.00 donation and all proceeds will benefit WNAC. Some of the featured mediums will be oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor, photography, mixed media, and more.
Entry is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged. Visitors will enjoy music, great food and desserts prepared by the North Platte Valley Artist Guild members, and have the opportunity to participate in a raffle of artfully decorated pumpkins and scarecrows. Pumpkins for the raffle were generously donated by Billy Estes of B.E. Pumpkin Patch in Bayard. The drawing for the raffle items will take place at 3:00 p.m. Hinman Farms will have a pumpkins and gourds for sale to get a start on fall decorations. The public is invited once again to help create a community canvas. Brushes and paint will be provided to work on this masterpiece, which will be completed by the end of the day and will be auctioned off.
From 1:00-3:00 p.m. visitors can meet the American Doorstop Project co-founders and authors, Jody L. Lamp and Melody Dobson, for a special book signing event of A History of Nebraska Agriculture: A Life Worth Living. The book features some of Nebraska’s untold or forgotten agricultural history stories with cover art and illustrations by Nebraska-native artist, Gene Roncka. Gene’s work will be on display at West Nebraska Arts Center Aug. 31—Sept. 24, 2017.
Proceeds from this event will go to West Nebraska Arts Center building improvement fund. “We are always working on a renovation project at WNAC and the money raised from this event really helps,” says Executive Director Donna Thompson. “This is by far one of my favorite events each year. Cher and Allan Maybee are so very generous to open the Barn to us, and the community gets an opportunity to meet artists and purchase beautiful, original works of art. The setting couldn’t be more perfect and it sounds like the weather will be gorgeous for this year’s event. We hope that everyone will take some time to come out and enjoy.”
West Nebraska Arts Center is a cultural non-profit organization committed to education, awareness, and excellence in the arts, serving the North Platte Valley Region. WNAC is located at 106 East 18th Street in Scottsbluff, NE. Visit the Arts Center’s website, www.thewnac.com, to learn more. The Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency, has supported this program through its matching grants program funded by the Nebraska Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Visit www.nebraskaartscouncil.org for information on how the Nebraska Arts Council can assist your organization, or how you can support the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.