On the Town: Art for All supporters share a secret
If it was supposed to be this big secret, somebody messed up big time and let the cat out of the bag as more than 400 supporters of local arts education showed up to peruse and purchase hundreds of original works of art at the Burbank Arts for All Foundation’s fourth annual Secret Art Show earlier this month.
Beginning with an early-entry VIP reception, art lovers filled a soundstage at the Burbank Studios which, for decades, served as the storied West Coast headquarters of the National Broadcasting Co., to enjoy the one-night-only pop-up art show and select secret works of art for a donation of $40 each.
The secret of the small 4-inch-by-6-inch creations was that each one was produced by a renowned artist, celebrity, entertainment industry designer, movie maker, animator or a student from the Burbank Unified School District. The identity of each artist wasn’t revealed until their work of art was purchased.
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Along with buying art, guests, who lounged on furnishings donated by CORT while sipping wine donated by Whole Foods Market, also had the opportunity to meet local artists Randall Williams, Michael Hirsh and Adonna Khare, each of whom demonstrated their craft by creating a piece during the event.
Among the secret artists who provided the mini-masterpieces were talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien, Emmy Award-winning actor Tony Hale, Peter Bennett, who serves the art director for “SpongeBob SquarePants,” musician Steve Earle, actress Lea Thompson, actors W. Earl Brown and Joe Mantegna, members of the Burbank Art Assn. and animators from the Walt Disney Animation Studio and Nickelodeon.
The event, sponsored by Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Cartoon Network Studios, mOcean, Cornerstone Masonry, Volpei-Gussow Real Estate, Alisa Cunningham and Real Value Properties, was co-chaired by Karen Broderick and Alexandra Helfrich, whose committee was comprised of Jamie Butterworth, Caroline Ross Solberg, Cathy Stevens, Jill Vander Borght and Debbie Wade.
Others who made the event a success included Burbank Arts for All board of directors, including chairwoman Carrie Brown and members Bob Mohler, Freddy Jarjour, Craig Murray, Tom Vice, Barbara Beckley, Debbie Kukta, Kevin McCarney, Ruth Davidson-Guerra, and Mauro Diaz, Joan McCarthey, Lili Rossi, Carson Smith, Heidi Trotta, Karen Volpei-Gussow, Suzanne Weerts and Trena Pitchford, the foundation’s executive director.
Proceeds from the sold artwork will benefit Burbank Arts for All Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure every student in Burbank public schools receives a quality arts education as part of their core curriculum.
For more information about the work and future events of Burbank Arts for All, visit BurbankArtsforAll.org. You can also bid online for works of art that weren’t sold at the show by visiting 32auctions.com, which will remain open until all of the artwork has been sold or until Dec. 4.
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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
