Painted Violins Puts Art Center-Stage in Annual Auction to Benefit the SCP
April 13, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC – April 13, 2009 – The South Carolina Philharmonic’s Painted Violins fundraiser makes a grand return April 23rd and 24th with 23 artists, new features, a new exhibition and teamed with Artista Vista.
The artwork will be auctioned off to raise money for the SCP. Violins will again be the center of the fundraiser. But this year, one cello will be offered and a new feature is added: Full Symphony. Artists are using pieces of instruments such as violin, guitar and drum pieces; bows; the bell of a horn and even a cow bell to create musically-themed works.
Also new this year, Painted Violins is part of the annual Artista Vista celebration, the Vista’s signature gallery crawl. The art will be exhibited, and bids will be accepted, from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 23-24 at the Whit-Ash Rug Gallery, 919 Gervais Street in Columbia. In addition to the artwork being auctioned, the SCP will take bids on a limited number of posters of this year’s art and limited-edition coffee table books that feature the art from the past three years of Painted Violins.
In 2009, 23 artists are transforming the instruments and pieces into art. Among them are a scenic designer for SCETV, an author who predicted today’s economic conditions in a 2004 book and even a forensic artist. Warren Brussee, Ingrid Carson, Jeremy Carter, Anastasia Chernoff, Jeffrey Day, Cindia Deith, Coy Durham, Linda Dye, Jan Fleetwood, Dylan Fouste, Scott Hallyburton, Mary Ann Haven, Mana Hewitt, Tuula Imahaki-Widdifield, Doni Jordan/Janette Grassi, Alicia Leeke, Kristina Mandell, Roy Paschal, David Phillips, Nancy Strailey, Lani Mustard Stringer and Christian Thee are the 2009 artists.
Painted Violins is once again presented by lead sponsor PHT Services, Ltd. and chaired by area artist Lani Mustard Stringer.
The Congaree Vista Guild, Musician Supply, Mustard Graphics Studio, Snelling Personnel Services, Star Music, photographer Les Stringer, TPM and Whit-Ash Rug Gallery are also helping to support the fundraiser.
The 2009 exhibition is the fourth consecutive event for the SCP, but the last annual one. Beginning in 2011, the event will be biennial only
