For its 12th consecutive year, Art Night raked in talented up and coming artists for a night of paint, fun, and charity.
By Shira Karsen
Artist David Barr with his work. Photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography.
This is a town full of connections. But when people network for art rather than politics – well, that’s unusual. Recently, Hickok Cole Architects and the Washington Project for the Arts combined their people skills to produce the super-successful show, Art Night. They wrangled in more than 700 art aficionados, patrons, and amateur collectors to mingle and they were ultimately so impressed they threw down an easy $80,000 in artwork sales.
Washington Project for the Arts’ mission is to support artists at all stages of their careers. More specifically, it’s to provide essential resources to support the creative spirit and success of regional artists. It present contemporary art through imaginative and provocative programs and connect artists with the community in both traditional and unexpected ways.Though this alone would have raised tremendous awareness about local art, in order encourage even more growth of the metro area’s art community, the revenue from each sale made at Art Night was split 50/50 between the artist and the Washington Project for the Arts. This year was the 12th annual Art Night, and in the past 6 years Hickok Cole Architects and Washington Project for the Arts have been able to raise a whopping $500,000. Now that’s what we call some high-profile politics.
Art Night with curator Contemporary Wings’ Lauren Gentile occurred at Hickok Cole Architects’ office at 1023 31st Street.
Lauren Gentile, Art Night Curator and Director and Owner of Contemporary Wing with Fred Ognibene the Deputy Director, Educational Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, NIH Clinical Center and Lisa Gold, Executive Director, Washington Project for the Arts. Photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography.
Marvin Morris, Washington Project for the Arts Board Member, Yolanda Cole, Sr.Principal at Hickok Cole Architects. Photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography.
