Art fundraiser tickets now on sale

A Black and White pARTy and art auction will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at the home of Fred and Sue Boettcher.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Ponca City Art Center. The party is themed, and guests are encouraged to wear black and white cocktail attire.

The Ponca City Art Center is dedicated to enriching the cultural life in Ponca City by promoting, teaching, and nourishing the creation and appreciation of the visual arts.

The Art Center recently hosted the chalk art festival in July and is also gearing up for the annual Ponca City Arts Festival Sept. 12 and 13. Throughout the year, the PCAC hosts art exhibitions, children’s and adults’ art classes and camps.

In November of 2014, the Art Center hired a new Executive Director, Kelsey Wagner, and she has been working to bring new energy to the Ponca City Art Center.

"The Art Center has a long and proud history in Ponca City," Wagner said. "The founders of the Ponca City Art Association were very forward-thinking and they knew the value this organization would bring their community. My main goal this year is to bring sustainability to the organization, so that we can be sure our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same art opportunities that Ponca City has enjoyed the last 50 years."

This fundraiser is part of that sustainability goal.

The Boettchers offered to host this year’s fundraiser at their home right down the street from the Art Center. There will be a live jazz singer, along with drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

"We have some really exciting works of art that are going up for auction," Wagner said.

Participating artists include Carlene Wallace, Gene Doughtery, Cletus Smith, Kortny Dylewski, Peter Hay, Ken Crowder and Romy Owens.

Artists from around the state created custom pieces of art specifically for this event and the art will be auctioned that night.

Cory Ake, a Ponca City painter, will be doing his painting live during the event and his artwork will be auctioned off before the paint is even dry. In addition to these artists’ custom work, there will be two highly sought after prints, one from the late Maxine Warren, and likely the most sought after piece will be a print from Pablo Piccasso.

Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased at any Eastman National Bank location or at the Ponca City Art Center at 819 East Central.

For more information call the Ponca City Art Center, 580-765-9746.