Community

Painters On Location raises money for arts center

The Painters On Location event sold 51 paintings, raising more than $35,000.

If you took a stroll on Sept. 15 or 16, you may have spotted one of the 35 artists who set out to paint local landmarks, landscapes, and seascapes for The Rye Arts Center’s 14th Painters On Location, sponsored by Houlihan Lawrence.

Some artists set their up easels downtown on Purchase Street. More adventurous painters hiked into the Marshlands for a secluded view of the Sound. Other perennial favorites include Playland and the Tide Mill Yacht Basin’s red barn. Red and white balloons served as beacons so visitors could spot them at a distance.

On Saturday evening, more than 200 people crowded into The Rye Arts Center to view the newly painted works and place their bids. Each painting was sold in a live auction led by Christie’s auctioneer, Richard Lloyd.

From left, Meg Rodriguez, executive director of The Rye Arts Center, and
Judi Smith, Rye brokerage manager and Sound Shore Region manager at
Houlihan Lawrence. Photos/Lindsay Sturman

Among those in attendance were New York State Assemblyman Steven Otis; Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker; Rye Mayor Joseph Sack; and Barbara Elliot and Robert Wiener, ArtsWestchester board members.

A reception preceding the auction featured drinks from Westchester’s newest hard cider brewery, Diner Brew Co., and Mamaroneck’s Good Shepherd Distillery. Bareburger supplied the event with a healthy dose of sliders for all to enjoy.

51 paintings were sold, garnering more than $35,000. Proceeds from Painters On Location will support outreach programs at The Rye Arts Center. These programs include need-based scholarships, after-school programs for under-served youth, in-school arts education programs, arts enrichment for Port Chester Head Start, a dance program for people with Parkinson’s Disease, and more.