Paint Presque Isle event casts community in new light
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Local residents and visitors alike are encouraged to support this year’s “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction,” scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27 as part of the eighth annual Crown of Maine Balloon Fest.
For the fourth consecutive year, artists will set up around the Star City and create original pieces which will then be auctioned off that night with proceeds benefiting the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, an organization whose mission is to bring more art enrichment to the schools in Aroostook County. They have funded performers and events such as Monmouth Theater, Karen Montanaro, a capella music workshops for Presque Isle Middle School and Presque Isle High School students, Caribou Middle School mural project, and more. This year’s Paint Presque Isle event will help to continue this mission.
File photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
RYAN CARNEY of Ashland, who prefers the pencil and charcoal medium, sketched the gazebo at Riverside Park during the 2010 “Paint Presque Isle: A Fresh Paint Event and Auction.” This year’s fundraiser will be held Saturday, Aug. 27. Last year’s event, which was Carney’s first, raised $7,600.
Registration for artists will be held from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Northeastland Hotel. As part of the $10 registration fee, artists will receive a bag lunch and two tickets to the auction/reception to take place that night.
“This year we plan to have more artists participating in the Fresh Paint portion of the event and even more fantastic silent auction pieces ranging from jewelry to photography to wood sculpture,” said Heather Harvell, one of the participating artists and a member of the Aroostook Partners in the Arts, host of the event. “This event is a win for everyone involved. The artist has the opportunity to showcase their talents and gain recognition, the auction-goers get a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind local art and at the same time help provide the kids in our communities with exposure to musicians, performers, and art events that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
“The artists that we have on our roster are extremely talented and it is always such an exciting time to see where each artist chooses to paint and when the finished work gets turned in the excitement just continues to grow as it is transported to Morningstar Art and Framing to be matted and then displayed in the Northeastland for the auction that night,” she said. “Some of the artwork carried out is literally wet paint, as ‘fresh’ as you can get. This year the Partners are adding an after-party to the schedule of events for the artists and auction attendees to mingle and celebrate the cause. Each year we see people wanting to know more about the artists and their process or even talk with them about further commissions. We have seen such wonderful connections made through this event between community members and the artists.”
Harvell said the artwork created always brings up different feelings for each viewer.
“Last year Frank Sullivan chose to paint a back alleyway in Presque Isle that many people pass daily but never take note of but the discussion around it was exciting,” she said. “One auction-goer said he used to skateboard down that particular alley every day as a kid and it brought back fond memories for him. Those types of discussions are what we would like to foster with an after-auction party.”
For bidders unsure of what to do with the artwork, Harvell has some suggestions.
“Many local businesses have blank walls that could use some color and interest. I find that having an original piece of artwork done by a local artist of a local scene is a fantastic conversation piece for a home or office,” she said. “Also local artwork has been purchased as gifts for people retiring from a long-term job or a gift for a board member of a business or maybe the hard-to-buy-for-person who has lived in the Presque Isle area their whole life.
“The other fabulous idea we have heard for local artwork is to send it to someone from here whose heart is in “The County” but has moved away,” said Harvell.
The Paint Presque Isle event will be held rain or shine.
“I painted from the trunk of my vehicle two years ago,” said Harvell. “Other artists were set up with umbrellas and tents, while some sat inside a business and looked out the window and painted. The artists should definitely prepare for inclement weather.”
At 3 p.m. artists will bring their completed work back to the hotel where it will be matted by Morning Star Art & Framing.
A preview reception will be held from 6-7 p.m. and the auction will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets, which are $5, are available at the door and at the Morning Star Gallery. Don Zillman will be the auctioneer.
“From 6-7 p.m. is the opportunity to view the artwork and decide which piece you would like to get in on the bidding for. It is also a time to bid on the silent auction items while enjoying some light refreshments and drinks,” said Harvell. “It’s a really important time for both the prospective buyers and the artists because it gives people a chance to mingle and ask the artists about their work. It’s also a good opportunity for the artists to interact with one another.”
The artists can choose to donate all or a portion of the proceeds from their artwork to the Partners in the Arts. To facilitate bidding, organizers ask for a price range for each work. The high end represents the fair market value at gallery price, while the low end will be the “artists’ reserve,” the price below which artists will not allow the work to be sold.
“Should any piece not receive the requested price, the artist will take the piece at the end of the auction; however, in three auctions we have yet to send a piece back with the artist,” Harvell said. “We have met every reserve price on every piece of art all three years. That is awesome!”
“All the money is used to fund art-related programs in the schools, with the goal of expanding both experience and appreciation of the arts for our local students,” said Pat Rathbun, member of the Aroostook Partners in the Arts.
Recognizing that a lot of local residents like to watch the artists work, there will be a large map at the Northeastland to show the location of where each artist plans to set up.
“I encourage people to watch the artists work,” Rathbun said. “They’re very talented and are sure to create some wonderful pieces.
“People are also invited to attend the auction where they can acquire original works of art in a wide range of prices,” said Rathbun. “In addition to the paintings, we will also be featuring a nice selection of donated pieces in a silent auction including several craft items.”
Aroostook Partners in the Arts, which organized in 1995 to work cooperatively with local schools to develop, support and sponsor high quality performing arts, visual arts and humanities experiences for school age children, typically meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month in the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library community room. Anyone interested in joining the group is invited to attend a meeting. Community members should contact the library or Martha LaPointe at 768-6311 for exact meeting time.
For more information on the Paint Presque Isle event, call LaPointe or Harvell at 540-1754.
