November 30, 2015
Art Over Easy, Holiday Sale set for this week
CARBONDALE, Ill. – An art sale gala event isn’t just a big city thing. For 11 years, it’s also been a Southern Illinois University Carbondale thing.
Art Over Easy is the biggest fundraiser for the School of Art and Design. The money helps fund everything from materials to visiting artists to scholarships. Largely through the continued efforts of faculty and staff, the event has become a social event and a fun place to begin a Friday night.
This year’s event is 7-9:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 in the Surplus Gallery, the main gallery in The Glove Factory (432 S. Washington Ave. Carbondale). Admission is $30 a person and includes beverages (including wine) and light refreshments from Cristaudo’s. The José Guzmán Trio provides the music.
Just hanging out and watching the live auction action – sometimes pretty intense! – makes for a fun evening in its own right, but the event is a fundraiser, and there are plenty of opportunities to spend money. The silent auction can lead to some sly strategy, while the live auction provides bursts of competitive bidding.
An added attraction is that the art for the sale gets the juried art exhibition treatment. This year, the juror is Rusty Freeman, director of visual arts at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon.
The art comes from SIU faculty, including emeriti faculty, alumni, students and even from community members. “We have a strong support base,” Marie Bukowski, director of the School of Art and Design, said.
For those who’d like to buy art that supports SIU artists, there is another holiday season opportunity. The annual Holiday Sale at Pulliam Hall, Industrial Wing includes five of the most active art Registered Student Organizations on campus. That sale is Dec. 2, 4-9 p.m. and Dec. 3, noon-4 p.m. The RSOs holding the sale are: Southern Clay Works, Southern Glass Works, Southern Illinois Metalsmiths Society, Southern Illinois Print Works and the Graduate Association of Painters and Printmakers.