OpenDoors art auction and benefit rescheduled
OpenDoors’ art auction and benefit was snowed out, so we’ve rescheduled for Sat., Feb. 20. The event remains at the YMI Cultural Center downtown from 7 to 10 p.m.
Former San Diego Charger Titcus Pettigrew will be the keynote speaker. Pettigrew grew up in Winston-Salem and has been mentored since he was 11 years old by Dan Scannell. Scannell now lives in Asheville and is the managing director of Oppenheimer & Co.
Pettigrew lives in Illinois, with wife, Bonnie, and their three children. The couple own a business together called Next Level Athletes, which trains kids to excel at sports. Pettigrew says his goal is to let kids know they can have their dreams, which he learned from Scannell.
Artists contributing pieces to the auction are area artists but many, like photographer Mike Smith, have work hanging in museums all over the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Randy Shull’s work is in collections at the Brooklyn Museum, The High Museum in Atlanta, and the Renwick Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. Other artists featured at the event include: Ben Betsalel, Kenn Kotara, Jeff Kinzel, Matt Jones, Werner Haker, Moni Hill, Richmond Smith, Rebecca D’Angelo, Gabriel Shaffer, Jonas Gerard, and many more.
OpenDoors of Asheville works to break the cycle of poverty by connecting local children to an individualized support network and providing them with opportunities for higher education.
“The proceeds of this event will help us pay for tutors, extracurricular activities and tuition for at-risk kids,” says Jennifer Ramming, co-director of OpenDoors. She describes OpenDoors’ work with kids as “intensive” and “intensely personal.”
Auction tickets cost $50 per person. Visit www.opendoorsasheville.org to buy tickets. Tickets include wine and beer, heavy appetizers, music, speakers, the art auction and more. All proceeds from the event benefit OpenDoors.
For more information, call Jennifer Ramming at 777-1135 or Kendra Sherrod at 337-8086.
