Artisans Center gives gala a touch of glass

The Charlottesville area is rich with artists, so it’s easy — especially on First Friday — to think about art on walls in galleries and museums.

The folks at the Artisans Center of Virginia hope you’ll also keep in mind that the creative spirit is as close as your coffee cup.

Those hand-thrown glazed mugs you bought at an outdoor festival or that scarf made by a local weaver that goes perfectly with your favorite coat are more than just comfortable objects you reach for every day — they’re tangible examples of the way art not only imitates life, but enriches it.

Sherri L. Smith, director of the Artisans Center of Virginia, hopes you’ll remember that artisans aren’t people living in some far-off, rarefied universe. Instead, she said, they’re small-business owners trying to make a living doing something they love, and neighbors who support many efforts to make the community a better place to live.

“It’s not out of people’s reach,” Smith said. “Artisans are just ordinary, hard-working people such as you and me.”

That’s why she’s hoping you’ll find time on Saturday for “Artisan Night: Jazz Under the Stars,” a gala benefit for the Artisans Center of Virginia.

Another of Charlottesville’s favorite art forms — jazz — will be well represented, too, thanks to the dueling pianos of Hod O’Brien and Jim Wray and the full-band sounds of Jazz Collective No. 9, featuring Jay Urgo, Jim Howe and Haywood Giles. There will be performances by Laurence Elder and others, all brought to you by the Charlottesville Jazz Society.

Be sure to take a look around the Ix Event Space and take in the blown-glass lighting by Charles Hall and the sculptures by NiNi Baeckstrom, Floyd Hurt and Yates Spencer.

And don’t forget the food. The selections will come from Al Hamraa, Bel Rio, Fellini’s No. 9, Maya and the Melting Pot — and don’t forget the presentation from Alexan-der’s Restaurant of Roanoke.

There also will be spirited competition for the Artisan Martini Award, and guests will get the chance to vote for their favorites.

Together, the tunes, tastes and decor will evoke “a swanky ’40s jazz club atmosphere,” Smith said. And the fact that the venue used to be part of a warehouse where silk was made adds a little extra significance.

“It’s an open-air space, yet it has a roof on it,” Smith said.

“It’s wonderful for an event like this. It’s appropriate to be having a ‘coming out’ in a place like that.”

The “coming out” part is simple: The gala is a chance to learn about the mission of the Artisans Center of Virginia, which promotes education, exhibitions, entrepreneurship, galleries and research to keep artisan culture thriving in the midst of a rapidly changing world and a cranky economy.

On Feb. 28, the center closed the doors of its Waynesboro gallery, which had been filled with a changing collection of works created by Virginia artisans skilled in glassware, pottery, jewelry and other disciplines.

“It’s sad that it closed,” Smith said. “We’re going through a grieving process, but we’re starting to come out on the other side.”

The center’s staff wiped tears and shifted gears to concentrate on its Virginia Craft Trail Network initiative. The craft trail is designed to raise awareness of more than 3,000 Virginia artisans and their work — and not just to help boost visits and sales.

Smith said it’s a new strategy to help get artisans’ work in front of the public in a challenging and frustrating economic environment that has taken a toll on art enterprises, galleries and studios, along with many other small businesses.

The center also hopes to advance its jury process, which offers a quality-approval distinction to help consumers discern well-made works.

And, as the center had based its gallery in Waynesboro, there still are plenty of folks in Charlottesville and other places across the state who haven’t heard of the center and its mission. Saturday’s event is a way to increase the center’s presence in Charlottesville and get its artisans on the radar in the vibrant local art scene.

An easy way to get a feel for what the center’s artisans do is to check out the silent auction items Saturday evening.

The attire for the gala evening is “creatively festive,” so it’s time to let your own inner artisan shine.

If you’re stumped, Smith said to let your imagination hit the playground. Think “fun, playful, razzle-dazzle,” Smith said. “I’m wearing fire-engine-red shoes.”

Details

Artisan Night: Jazz Under the Stars

6:30 p.m. Saturday

Ix Event Space

$50

http://www.artisanscenterofvirginia.org

296-7915