Visual Art Exchange Hosts 29th Annual Art Auction And Gala Feb. 2 At Raleigh Marriott City Center

RALEIGH, NC, January 05, 2013

Sarah Powers, executive director of Visual Art Exchange (VAE) (http://www.visualartexchange.org), a nonprofit creativity incubator and gallery that supports and educates emerging, professional and student artists, has announced that the group's 29th annual art auction and gala, "For The Love of Art," will take place on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. The event's honorary chairs are Charles Meeker, the former mayor of Raleigh, and his wife, Dr. Anne McLaurin, a former member of the Wake County Board of Education, and its co-chairs are Kim Duffley and Brad Haynes.

"For The Love of Art" will highlight 2012's featured artist, Carol Joy Shannon, a prominent Raleigh artist. Her work hangs in venues ranging from vacation homes to banks, and her donated works have raised money for everything from Gulf fisherman to the Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina. A VAE member since 2005, Shannon is a member of the Fine Arts League of Cary and the Durham Art Guild, and a founding member of Chromazones, a group of a dozen Triangle abstract artists who create large collaborative pieces for fundraising and exhibit in group shows throughout the state. Carol will join more than 100 donating artists in the silent and live auctions. These artists have contributed 150 works of art in all media and subject matter.

Proceeds from the event will help VAE create educational programming that empowers artists to become entrepreneurs. Additionally, sponsors and their guests will receive exposure via the gala's website and printed marketing materials, can preview artwork an hour before the event and bid at "buy-it-now" prices before the auction goes public, and meet auction artists and mingle with other sponsors and VIPs. There are varying levels of sponsorship available, starting with the Michelangelo package for $3,250, then decreasing in price to Leonardo, Rembrandt, Picasso and Monet.

Sponsorships help to secure the success of VAE and to support thousands of local artists. The nonprofit supports artists and connects the community to the arts, with more than 1,300 artists participating in their exhibitions each year. VAE has more than 70 education programs focused on building business skills and an exhibition program that showcases the work of emerging artists, helping individuals create opportunities for themselves.

To learn more about the event or purchase tickets, visit http://visualartexchange.org/gala or call (919) 828-7834.

QUOTES:
"Our annual fundraiser promises to be an exciting, fun evening with both the opportunity to bid on great art and to experience the beauty of the Triangle's creativity," said Powers. "We look forward to presenting our region's best emerging talent to artists, sponsors and other guests that evening."

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Visual Art Exchange's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/visualartexchange

Visual Art Exchange's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/VAEraleigh

Visual Art Exchange's Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31255349@N06/

ABOUT VISUAL ART EXCHANGE:
Visual Art Exchange (VAE) is a nonprofit creativity incubator and gallery that supports and educates emerging, professional and student artists. Formed by and for artists in 1980, it was established to be a noncommercial venue which supported the advancement of established and emerging artists through exhibitions, events, workshops, networking opportunities and community involvement. Each year VAE exhibits the work of more than 1,300 artists in 60 exhibitions and hosts more than 70 educational programs. VAE aims to increase community awareness, appreciation and support of North Carolina artists, and has two exhibitions, the N.E.W. show and Scope, The North Carolina Landscape Exhibition, which attracts artists from across the Southeast. Additionally, VAE is the force behind SPARKcon, Raleigh's open-source art and design festival, which showcases more than 1,700 artists each fall and is attended by 25,000 people.

Emily Packard
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
emily@mmipublicrelations.com
http://twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com