A variety of locally made artwork will be on the auction block 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at The Crossing Arts Alliance in downtown Brainerd.
The 8x8 art auction and gala, now in its fourth year, serves as a fundraiser to help support and expand art programming at The Crossing Arts Alliance.
Artists who wanted to participate were given an 8-by-8-inch canvas and allowed to use any medium they wanted to create a piece of artwork.
Lisa Jordan, The Crossing Arts Alliance executive director, came up with the idea when brainstorming art-related fundraisers.
"The artists that we work with really are the heart of the organization-and the people who appreciate the arts," Jordan said. "So we reached out to the people who make art and asked if they would be willing to share their skills, and reached out to the people who love art and said, 'Would you be interested in purchasing these?' And the combo turned into the 8x8."
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Nearly 170 pieces of artwork will be on display this year, with about 300 people expected to attend the event.
"This year we had more people than ever from outside of our regular contributors," Jordan said of the contributors. "It's been awesome to see people from the community we hadn't met before that are bringing in work."
While many canvases sport paintings and collages, Jordan said artists got extra creative this year, some not even using canvases but instead submitting 8x8 creations made of stained glass, infused glass, wood and paper.
For a fee of $20 at the door (or $10 for contributing artists), attendees will be able to enjoy wine, craft beer and heavy hors d'oeuvres while browsing the artwork and bidding on pieces in a silent auction. Michelle Sakry-Winkelman and David Winkelman will provide background music.
"It's a lot of fun," Jordan said. "It's really cool to see all of the pieces. I would just recommend everybody come check it out."
If you go
What: The Crossing Arts Alliance 8x8 Gala and Fundraiser.
When: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4.
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Where: 711 Laurel St., Brainerd.
Cost: $20 at door, or $10 for participating artists. Event includes wine, craft beer and hors d'oeuvres.
More information: Visit www.crossingarts.org .
