The artists of Gallery 220 and Clay Creations are hosting a fund raising event for Hancock County Food Pantry on Thursday, February 3rd. The event will take place in their historic building on the corner of Toulme and Main Street in beautiful Old Town Bay St Louis. From 5-8 PM, the gallery will be alive with food, fun, live music and a silent auction. Seventeen artists have taken Chinese chairs and transformed them into wonderful pieces of art. Some of the chairs still function as chairs; others have been transformed into non-utilitarian works of art. The chairs have been placed in locations throughout the county for preview and early bidding. Bids begin at $25, and may be placed by emailing lorikgordon@gmail.com. Several Hancock County organizations have expressed a desire to have one of the chairs purchased and donated for permanent placement in their offices so if you want to participate in the fund raiser but don't have room for another piece of furniture in your home, bid on a chair for Hancock Medical Center, Hancock County Food Pantry, or Habitat for Humanity.
The artists and the Food Pantry have had a wonderful show of support from the community. Sponsors include Gator Wine and Spirits in Waveland, Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County, Yun Long Buffet in Waveland, Nate Holman, WalMart in Waveland, Rosettis Liquor Barrel in Bay St. Louis, and Sea Coast Echo. Additional sponsors have placed chairs in their locations for the month of January. These sponsors are Hancock County Library System; Mississippi Visitor Center, I-10 at Exit 2; Peoples Bank, BSL and Waveland branches; United Methodist Church, BSL; Hancock Medical Center; Hancock County Food Pantry; Whitney Bank, Diamondhead and BSL branches; United Methodist Church, Diamondhead; Diamondhead Community Church; Diamondhead Episcopal Church and Gallery 220, BSL.
The artists who have donated their time and talents to transform the chairs include Judy Lee, Amy Kramer, Barbara Brodtmann, Lori Gordon, Cairo, Michelle Allee, Scott Blackwell, Julie Nelson, Ken and Brenda Spence, Mary-Pat Forrest, Brian Bush, Deb Johnson, Ann Kearney, Carol Bowman, Janet Densmore, Nonie Johns, Jenise McCardell, Mark Currier, Laurianne Manchester, Dixie Boyd, Mark Buszkiewicz and Regan Carney. The beautiful turquoise background you see behind most of the chairs is a painting by Amy Kramer, and is on display in the gallery.
