Delicious wine, savory appetizers and painting for a good cause. Name a better triple threat, we’ll wait. Thursday Feb. 9, Centrale: Italian Parlour hosted The FSU College of Fine Arts’ “Paint Night” and it was everything we could’ve imagined and more. For just $25 per person, your reservation guaranteed you a glass of wine, appetizers, and art supplies to paint your own wine bottle. Limited to only 30 guests per seating, this was an event we were sure not to miss. There were two time slots during which guests could attend the event: one from 5:30-7:00 p.m. and the second from 7:30-9:00 p.m. The event was a fundraiser hosted by the College of Fine Arts, with all proceeds from the event benefiting Friends of Dance & Allies4Art. What many may not know is that Paint Night leads to an even bigger event that the School of Dance hosts, which is their Paint Around Gala & Auction. A semi-annual event sponsored by Friends of Dance and Allies4Art, the money raised at the gala will be used to provide students with scholarships as well as fund travel grants for any research and conferences for those in the School of Dance Department of Art and Art Education. The Paint Around Gala & Auction, a can’t miss event, will be held on Saturday, Mar. 4, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. in the William Johnston Building.
Courtesy: Michelle Abraira
Beginning in the courtyard of Centrale, wine and cocktails were served along with an assortment of cheeses as appetizers. Guests enjoyed socializing and coming together to support a good cause. The Friends of Dance Board President Heather Mayo was thrilled with the turn out of the event, saying, “We are so thankful to everyone who joined us for a fun night of art while supporting a great cause! The proceeds will directly benefit scholarship funds for students at the FSU School of Dance, Department of Art and Art Education. We are especially thankful to Centrale and Social Catering and Events for their partnership with us on this event!” Guests then moved inside, where tables were set up with bottles, paint, sequins, rhinestones and more. Everything needed to unleash your creative side was at your fingertips, ready to let the inner artist in guests out. Jonathan Klepper, Friends of Dance board member, also spoke about the event, saying, “It was a great evening gathering all ranges of talent and interests. Whether you were an experienced artist or novice, everyone made beautiful masterpieces and shared in the process, wine and cheese!” Everything from intricate decor to simple yet beautiful designs were painted on all the bottles. I spoke with another attendee of the event, Calla MacNamara, who said, “The event was so fun! It was really neat to see everyone’s creative styles. I hope to host a fundraiser here one day.” Whether they were an experienced, skilled artist or not, everyone took something home that was unique and beautiful and left content knowing that their contribution to the event will lead to something far larger for the College of Fine Arts in the future.
Courtesy: Michelle Abraira
Jenny Dorminy, the Director of Philanthropy with For The Table Hospitality, also helped put together this amazing event. For those that don’t know, For The Table Hospitality is the management company for Madison Social, Centrale, Township and Social Catering & Events. As popular as the restaurants that are, being familiar to almost every FSU student, many don’t know that Madison Social is big into giving back to the Tallahassee community. With the expansion of their company in Fall 2016, the owners wanted to continue doing what they could to give back to the community as what they call their philosophy, “People Helping People.” As stated on Madison Social’s website, “No matter the person, cause or organization, we want to help in any way we can… Together we can be People Helping People.” When I spoke to Jenny about her role with For The Table Hospitality she said, “My role is to work with local organizations, like the Paint Around Gala, to invent creative ways for them to fundraise and gain awareness for their cause. Our goal is to have a signature fundraiser at each restaurant that allows the organization to raise money and awareness with minimal time and effort.” Some other signature fundraisers that For The Table Hospitality has helped to create include Pie-It-Forward at Centrale, the Stein-Hoisting Competition and Beer & Food Pairing Class at Township.
An overall success, Paint Night was one full of laughs, fun and creativity that all went to benefit those in the School of Dance. With this incredible night as the pre-event to their Paint Around Gala & Auction, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for those who benefit from this amazing event!
For more information on what you can do to help the arts, visit the websites for Friends of Dance and Allies4Art.