MICHIGAN CITY — A Celebration of Women in the Arts, a fundraiser for the Michigan City Commission for Women, was held Friday night.
The second fundraiser for the commission and the first of its kind, the celebration invited supporters for a gathering filled with art at the Uptown Center for the Performing Arts in the Michigan City Uptown Arts District.
Sharon Carnes, president of the Michigan City Commission for Women, said the fundraiser was needed because the organization is not supported by the city. She said the event will help fund commission programs, specifying upcoming partnerships with other local organizations.
“We're going to be partnering with the LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Center,” she said. “They are planning a seminar for middle school girls to get them interested in non-traditional employment.”
The commission also partnered with the Minority Health Coalition of LaPorte County to support breast cancer awareness and is supporting the Silent Witness project, which they helped bring to Michigan City last year.
The event location was filled with art created by regional women. All of the art was on sale.
The artwork included paintings, photography, fiber art and a sculpture.
Curated by local artist Anneke Dekker, all of the artists agreed to contribute 30 percent of each sale back to the Michigan City Commission for Women.
“I wanted artists who painted big,” Dekker said of the selection process for participating artists, not wanting small pieces of art.
While each artist was asked to bring select pieces of art they were willing to sell for the benefit of the commission, Dekker said there was no theme to the artwork itself.
“I told the artists, 'This is about women in the arts, so bring some of your best work to make it look good,'” she said.
Among the 25 pieces of artwork at Friday's event was a piece created by Dekker titled “Namibia Dry River.”
A colorful painting with wood twigs attached, Dekker said the piece was inspired by a dry riverbed she came across during a trip to Namibia.
The other participating artists were Suzanne Cohan-Lange, Kei Constantinov, Linda Eisenberg, Maggie Galloway, Kathy Gleser, Connie Kassal, Rhonda Mullen, Laurie Schirmer and Staara.
Entertainment for the evening was coordinated by Dani Lane, a committee member for the Celebration of Women in Arts event. The performers were a mix of local spoken word, music and acting talents.
“I was looking for diversity,” Lane said.
In support of the evening's theme, all of the performers were women, she said.