Bond Payne, Lori Payne, Teresa Rose and James Pickel serve as co-chairs for Allied Arts' OPUS VI. Photo/Mark Hancock
When you're encouraged to "dress to pARTy" to attend "pARTy different," which will offer "pARTy central" - a party within the party - so you can buy one-of-a-kind items at the "pARTy shop," one could argue this is going to be one heck of a rim shot.
Allied Arts' biennial fundraiser, OPUS VI, promises to be everything but the typical fundraising event: no black tie, no formal, sit-down dinner, no silent auction, no live auction, no program, no theme. Rather, this event puts a new spin on the traditional.
"People are going to get a much different evening," says Deborah McAuliffe Senner, president and CEO of Allied Arts. "It will be the event of the year."
The first OPUS fundraising event was in 2000, and the goal was to raise $65,000. That goal was accomplished and has grown considerably since. In 2008, the event raised $263,000. This year's goal is to raise $300,000.
Having bistro tables throughout the space versus the seated dinner, Senner says, will allow for more guests - an estimated 500 to 600 are expected - which she hopes will help in reaching their goal.
"The focus will be strictly on raising funds for the arts through the event itself," she says. "And it's four hours of food, four hours of cocktails and four hours of dancing nonstop."
But Senner isn't taking the credit for the creativity behind this year's "pARTy." Rather, she says, all credit is owed to selected co-chairs James Pickel, Teresa Rose, and Bond and Lori Payne.
According to Bond Payne, their thought behind the design was to make it the type of party they would want to go to - something fun and festive.
"We came up with the idea of 'pARTy central,' which is sort of a VIP lounge in lieu of the patron party, hoping that would give our sponsors a special place where they could go and get special drinks and hang out and get a little more out of the party," he says.
Pickel describes "pARTy central" as a "higher-end part of the party," where sponsors can appreciate premium foods, premium liquors and cigars - to be smoked on the patio.
Rather than having an auction, the goal is to showcase artists' wares in an open environment, known as "pARTy shop," where each item will have a fixed price.
"We're not asking the artists to donate (the items) because, well, that's how they make a living: by selling their art," Pickel says. "You'll walk through this area to get to the dance floor and the food. It's like a marketplace."
The variety of offerings include pottery, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, functional furniture and unusual pieces of Le Creuset cookware not found in stores, to name just a few.
"So it's not just art, it's fun things," Pickel says. "The theory behind it is
Allied Arts' biennial fundraiser, OPUS VI, promises to be everything but the typical fundraising event: no black tie, no formal, sit-down dinner, no silent auction, no live auction, no program, no theme. Rather, this event puts a new spin on the traditional.
"People are going to get a much different evening," says Deborah McAuliffe Senner, president and CEO of Allied Arts. "It will be the event of the year."
The first OPUS fundraising event was in 2000, and the goal was to raise $65,000. That goal was accomplished and has grown considerably since. In 2008, the event raised $263,000. This year's goal is to raise $300,000.
Having bistro tables throughout the space versus the seated dinner, Senner says, will allow for more guests - an estimated 500 to 600 are expected - which she hopes will help in reaching their goal.
"The focus will be strictly on raising funds for the arts through the event itself," she says. "And it's four hours of food, four hours of cocktails and four hours of dancing nonstop."
But Senner isn't taking the credit for the creativity behind this year's "pARTy." Rather, she says, all credit is owed to selected co-chairs James Pickel, Teresa Rose, and Bond and Lori Payne.
According to Bond Payne, their thought behind the design was to make it the type of party they would want to go to - something fun and festive.
"We came up with the idea of 'pARTy central,' which is sort of a VIP lounge in lieu of the patron party, hoping that would give our sponsors a special place where they could go and get special drinks and hang out and get a little more out of the party," he says.
Pickel describes "pARTy central" as a "higher-end part of the party," where sponsors can appreciate premium foods, premium liquors and cigars - to be smoked on the patio.
Rather than having an auction, the goal is to showcase artists' wares in an open environment, known as "pARTy shop," where each item will have a fixed price.
"We're not asking the artists to donate (the items) because, well, that's how they make a living: by selling their art," Pickel says. "You'll walk through this area to get to the dance floor and the food. It's like a marketplace."
The variety of offerings include pottery, sculpture, jewelry, paintings, functional furniture and unusual pieces of Le Creuset cookware not found in stores, to name just a few.
"So it's not just art, it's fun things," Pickel says. "The theory behind it is