APS A is for Art! event on tap Saturday
Students’ works to be auctioned at gala
APS Education Foundation’s annual A is for Art! auction/ gala and communitywide gathering of businesses, students, parents and APS staff to celebrate some immense talent is set for Saturday at Hotel Albuquerque.
More than 160 artworks by APS high school students will be auctioned during the event, with a silent auction beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the dinner/live auction following at 7 p.m.
Last year, it generated $54,000, which was split among the artists themselves and the APS Education Foundation and the district’s fine arts departments.
“We take great pride in telling folks that more than 100 students become professional artists in a single night,” Foundation executive director Phill Casaus said in a statement. “It’s something that brings a great deal of satisfaction to students and their parents. But I think it also draws pride from the folks who come and support these kids, because they are really seeing talent and dedication first-hand.”
Artworks range from metal work to jewelry to paintings and mixed media. Three pieces will be placed in the live auction: paintings by Del Norte High School’s Xena Gurule and La Cueva’s Grace Walker and a drawing by West Mesa’s Santiago Davila. Also, the Highland High School fine arts department will be “auctioned” to the highest bidder.
Performing groups, including Mariachi Herencia from Atrisco Heritage Academy, a steel drum band from High- land and the jazz band from Sandia, also will be part of the show. Headlining the event will be Audra Vigil, a singer and guitarist from Manzano who is attending the University of Texas and majoring in classical guitar performance.
The students in Lindsey Allen’s computer graphics classes at Volcano Vista created the billboard ads to spur interest in the annual fundraiser. Nearly 70 sophomores, juniors and seniors helped design the ads now running on electronic billboards at Cibola, Eldorado and Del Norte high schools and Wilson Stadium, as well as other locations in Albuquerque.
The A is for Art! event is represented by Technology Integration Group, with the student art sponsorship provided by Southwest Capital Bank and the music sponsorship by Pepsi.
Other sponsors include Sound and Signal, Anchor Built, Intel, RayLee Homes: A New Generation, Frame and Art, Flying Star Café, Newspapers in Education/Albuquerque Publishing Company, Comcast, Delta Dental, Sandia National Laboratories/Lockheed Martin, Hinkle Family Fun Center, University of Phoenix, Abba Technologies, Awards Etc., Hotel Albuquerque and many others.
Tickets for A is for Art! are $50 apiece and may be purchased online at www.apseducationfoundation.org.