Laser lights dancing through the air, sweet beats spinning from the DJ’s turntable, a crowded room of people sipping drinks, munching on food and examining the art on the walls — such was the scene Saturday night at the Old Whiteaker Firehouse.@@http://aad.uoregon.edu/node/135@@ Beats and Brushstrokes, the annual fundraiser for the University’s chapter of Emerging Leaders in the Arts Network@@same link@@, had a full house at the warehouse-like venue, and a sense of art community permeated the air.
ELAN is a student-run arts administration professional development organization that cultivates art opportunities at the University and in the larger arts community. ELAN seeks to bring young people together, engage with artists and community arts organizations, network professionally and build connections throughout the art world.
“We’re looking to connect students who are looking to go into the arts with professionals,” said ELAN Leadership Team Chair and arts management graduate student Sara Bateman.@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Sara+Bateman@@
This is the third year ELAN has put on its Beats and Brushstrokes fundraiser. The event revolved around the theme of music and art, featuring two DJs, a live band, a silent art auction and donated food and drinks from sponsors such as Voodoo Doughnuts@@checked@@, Ninkasi Brewing Company@@http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/@@ and Market of Choice.
“I didn’t know anything about art events, but it’s really cool,” said recent University graduate Sami Levy, who attended the event because a friend’s roommate helped organize it.
The silent art auction was the core of the event. Art pieces made from re-purposed vinyl records and record sleeves were set up around the room with bidding sheets nearby. This year there were more than 100 different pieces.
“It just keeps getting bigger each year,” said ELAN Leadership Team Vice Chair and arts management graduate student Emily Dobkin@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Emily+Dobkin@@, who coordinated most of the event. “The creativity keeps expanding.”
“It gives anyone who wants to participate the chance to create art,” Bateman said of the auction. “I feel it’s very Eugene. It’s all about sustainability and reusing material.”
The walls featured a diverse array of records. Some were decorated with abstract swirls of paint, others had glitter, collages of images, mirror shards, even stained glass. At least three made references to Audrey Hepburn@@http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/@@, another was a subtle recreation of the painting “The Son of Man” by Rene Magritte@@http://bertc.com/g9/magritte16.htm@@, green apple in the face and all. There were also some pieces that didn’t stick to the record-rule: a woven tapestry, decorated sketch books and a gramophone.
“There’s some really awesome things,” Levy said. “It’s interesting to see the range of things people did.”
Most of the art pieces were created locally by students and Eugene artists. But this year, for the first time, others came from across the country. Dobkin said she encouraged everyone on ELAN’s leadership team to reach out to their artist friends, and the result was boxes of re-purposed records arriving on her doorstep from everywhere: New York, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, New Jersey and San Francisco.
“The art world is a small world, it’s a network,” Dobkin said. “The networking goes beyond just the Eugene community.”
Beats and Brushstrokes, besides being a fundraiser for ELAN, also promoted the group’s mission to build community in the art world.
“People come and bid on friend’s work,” Bateman said. “And it also gives people a chance to buy artwork at a reasonable price.”
All art pieces started with at least a $5 minimum bid. At the end of the night several sold for those $5 — others sold for over $25.
Portland-based band The Sleeper Smiles@@http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sleeper-Smiles/107681735950251?sk=info@@ also performed at the event. They grooved through a set of acoustic folk songs with a guitar, accordion, acoustic base and a trumpet. Dobkin grew up with two of the band members in Connecticut, so she invited them to perform at the event.
“I’ve seen them go from fourth-grade orchestra to battle of the bands,” Dobkin said.
The proceeds from the Beats and Brushstrokes fundraiser will go toward ELAN’s annual spring term ArtsVenture, a three-day excursion for ELAN members to another city to experience, explore and connect with arts organizations. In the past ELAN has visited Portland and Seattle; this year the group will go to Bend.@@http://aaablogs.uoregon.edu/elan/events/artsventure/@@