MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis organization is using a virtual art fundraiser as a new way to help send kids to college.
They are getting things ready at Waterkolours Art Gallery. Sunday, July 11, the art goes virtual in a special fine art sale put on by the gallery and Sisters in Service Foundation.
“It is going to be really different and yes virtual,” said Judy Martin, the second vice president of Sisters in Service Foundation.
Local and international art work will be up for auction during the two-week event, where people can buy original artwork from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
“There will be 25 different artists, probably somewhere close to 75 pieces. Yes, there will be a large inventory of artwork,” said Danny Jenkins, Waterkolours art curator and director.
During this art show, you will actually be able to see an artists create a piece and then you can purchase it.
“There is nothing like being able to see an artist at work and doing their craft and how they mix the colors. A lot of people, 99 percent of people, never see that,” Jenkins said.
There will also be an opportunity to make an appointment and visit the art gallery in person .
Sisters in Service has been raising money to help students for years, but because of the pandemic, they had to find a new way to fundraise, and taking art virtual is it. The funds raised from the art event will benefit 60 students across the Mid-South, who will get from $500 to $5,000 for their education.
“With the cost of education increasing so much every year and with so much going on around economic insecurity, our students are really looking forward to these funds,” said Erin Luster, chair of the scholarship program.
For Sisters in Service, the fundraising arm of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated’s Beta Epsilon Omega Chapter, partnerships like this one are important. Students aren’t the only winners.
“Our work today in partnership with Waterkolours Fine Art Gallery gives us an opportunity to support an organization in the community from a fine arts prospective,” said Jane Venson-Talford, President of the Sisters in Service Foundation.
It’s also exposure for Waterkolours and their new studio that opened in the middle of the pandemic.
“We are so excited about the fundraising opportunity to give back to the community and to also excite young artists,” Jenkins said.
“We are trying to raise awareness, increase the interest in the community in purchasing art and the importance of it,” Martin said.
The virtual sale will officially start on Sunday, July 11.