Seth Johnson
Art and wine, food and prizes. Good News Arts will provide it all at Paint the Night, its first benefit gala, on May 21 from 8 to 10 p.m. with tickets at $40.
The gala will allow attendees to participate in art projects while enjoying an open bar and food prepared by Chef Joe Richard of Miami.
Based in High Springs, Good News Arts started in September 2020 and the organization, headed by Jessica Caldas, works to provide free and low cost arts programming for the community.
The benefit gala will allow Good News Arts to continue its programming, including regional art shows, local artist shows, After School Youth Arts and a Summer Arts Camp.
Caldas said the summer camp found success last year and she hopes to build on that.
“There’s just not as much programming for youth out here outside of sports, and so, to provide something different for everybody seems really important,” Caldas said in a phone interview.
The youth artists created sculptures that gala attendees could receive as door prizes, and the gala will also serve as a silent auction for artwork by more than 20 local artists. The silent auction will also feature tennis lessons, gift cards to local restaurants and a mountain getaway to Tennessee.
Caldas said the gala will provide plenty of fun even to those unfamiliar with the organization or art in general. Attendees can also walk down the street for tours of Good News Arts’ newest exhibit by Paul Shortt called a “Farewell to Adulthood.”
Good News Arts will also honor its volunteer of the year, Linda Weseman, and community partner of the year, the High Springs Parks and Recreation Department.
Good News Arts launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Caldas said that context helped create the organization’s name. She said everyone needed good news at the time, and art can provide that.
“It’s cheesy, definitely; a little bit of a cliche, but like, I really do believe small acts and art can change the world even if it’s just a few people at a time,” Caldas said.
Find more information on the gala and Good News Arts at the organization’s website.