A French Theme for Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Rouge Fundraiser This Saturday, August 7
www.svma.org
2 August 2010 – Sonoma, California: This Saturday, August 7, travel back to the era of Toulouse-Lautrec and the Parisian underground as the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art’s “Rouge-Wet Paint 2010,” gives a make-over to the inside of the Museum at 551 Broadway (www.svma.org). Crews will be busy in the days ahead, transforming the space into a recreation of fin de siècle Montmartre, complete with Lautrec-style murals and entertaining French street performers.
“This is going to be spectacular,” says Kate Eilertsen, Executive Director of the Museum. “It’s exciting bringing it all inside the Museum this year and having the walls covered with art.”
Bowler hats, berets and fishnet stockings are encouraged for the evening. Guests can watch can-can girls dance, enjoy French music, sip champagne and ponder the many ways they can support our community’s art museum through live and silent auction, “Fun de Latte,” and “Fund a Classroom.”
Rouge is the 2010 version of the Museum’s successful Wet Paint fundraiser. This year’s edition boasts food prepared by The Girl and the Fig, plus a selection of fine Sonoma Valley wines donated by Charles Creek, Fictenberg Vineyards, Gloria Ferrer, Hughes Family Vineyards, Ledson Winery and Muscardini Cellars. The event starts at 5:00 p.m. and includes cocktails, dinner, auction and entertainment.
As is fitting for an art museum, many of the auction items this year include art-themed excursions, including Balboa Island and the Orange County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and a trip to Soho to take in the Brooklyn art scene hosted by Christopher Vroom, Founder and President of Artadia—The Fund for Art and Dialogue. A complete list of items may be found at the Museum’s web site, www.svma.org.
Allan Grosh, Event Chair, is enthusiastic about the work done by the Rouge planning committee and by event planner Kristi Amoroso. “It’s going to be fantastic, we’ve really taken the energy up a level with moving it inside, and the performers have some exciting surprises planned. The whole team has really pulled together an amazing event to benefit the Museum.”
The Museum is planning on opening a café this fall and is inviting Rouge attendees to help with start-up costs by purchasing a special “Fun de Latte” coffee cup for $150 which will entitle the purchaser to coffee for a year at the café. “A fantastic investment!” says Eilertsen, “And a great investment in making the Museum a hub for creative activity here in Sonoma.”
Rouge-Wet Paint 2010 starts at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 7 at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway. Advance tickets are recommended and are available at the Museum’s web site, www.svma.org, or by calling the Museum at (707) 939-7862.
About the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art:
With more than 1,000 members, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA) (www.svma.org, 707-939-7862) is the largest visual arts organization in the San Francisco North Bay region. It was incorporated in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to promote the creation, exhibition, and collection of fine arts, to provide a venue for art exhibition in Sonoma, and to offer educational opportunities for people of all ages. It occupies an 8,000-square-foot space at 551 Broadway, just one-half block south of the historic Sonoma Plaza. The Museum purchased the building in early 2001, and completed extensive renovations in March 2004. The Museum is open to the general public during exhibitions Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm Admission is $5 for individuals, $8 for families, and free to members.
