Annual event supports the arts in Bossier and Caddo

ARTini, an annual fund-raiser by the Bossier Arts Council (BAC) that celebrates the culinary arts, is set for 7-11 p.m. March 4 at 601 Spring Street, Shreveport.

The event will feature live music, local artists, including featured artist J. Ben Moss, a.k.a. PLOID, and much more. Seventeen area restaurants will create unique martinis and compete for the coveted titles of “Judges’ Choice,” “People’s Choice,” and “Most M’artisanal,” said Robin Jones, executive director of the BAC.

“This is our eighth year and our only fund-raiser for the Bossier Arts Council,” she said. “The money that we raise sustains our programming throughout the year.”

While local TV personalities or culinary experts serve as judges and come in an hour early to begin choosing winners for the Judge’s Choice and Most M’artisanal awards, those attending the event receive a green paper olive when they walk in the door, which serves as their vote for the People’s Choice award.

This year’s featured artist, Ben Moss, a.k.a. PLOID, is a graffiti-style artist who also does live paintings. His style and his artwork will be on display throughout the space during ARTini, and the awards are custom art pieces made by him. In addition, he’ll do a live painting during the event that will be auctioned off.

Moss lives and works in Shreveport and has exhibited in group exhibitions throughout the Ark-La-Tex region. He received his BA from Northwestern State University and is currently in his thesis rotation for his MLA at Louisiana State University Shreveport.

His most recent illustration work is visually adapting excerpts from classic literature for “The Graphic Canon” volumes 2 and 3 from Seven Stories Press, as well as illustrating his self-published book of children’s literature, “peculiar poems for pint-size provocateurs.”

Examples of his paintings, illustration and design work can be found at jbenmoss.tumblr.com and www. nwlaartists.org/community/jbenmoss.

Ten themed baskets will be available during a silent auction at ARTini. The baskets have themes such as “A Year of Date Nights”; the Parrot Head Martini, a $1,500 package that includes dinner for eight at Jimmy’s, eight concert tickets, a meet-and-greet experience and four hotel rooms at Margaritaville; Fell Off the Wagon Martini, a wagon full of booze; and Paint the Town Martini, just to name a few, as well as 10 art pieces donated by local artists.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be catered by LaLouisiane, and music will be provided by DJ Jim Jezereck.

ARTini had its beginnings eight years ago when the BAC needed to come up with a fund-raiser, said Jones.

“We also wanted to showcase the culinary arts,” she added. “Visual and performing arts get a lot of attention, but not the culinary arts at the time. It was a great way to combine the two needs.

“Over the years we’ve changed venues a few times just to adapt to the growth,” she said. Last year more than 700 people attended the event, helping the BAC raise $40,000. This year, the goal is $50,000.”

But don’t expect a spike in ticket prices, said Jones. “We keep the ticket prices low so that people with varying budgets can attend.”

And neither should you expect run-ofthe-mill martinis.

“When most people think of a martini, they think of gin and olives, but this is so much more,” she said. “These are not traditional martinis. Last year we had a muffuletta martini.”

And how about a chocolate cake martini? Participating breweries even infuse the vodka with their beer. “They’re crafting these martinis, infusing the vodkas with their own flavors, and you get such a wide variety of martinis.”

Your ticket includes all the martinis you want to sample. And there is no need to worry about who is driving, since iShuttle is also provided free to all ticket holders. You can be picked up at your home and delivered back safe and sound, as long as four or more people are included in your party and you live within the Shreveport/Bossier municipal area.

Local artists and community members have already uniquely hand-painted 300 martini glasses, using a special paint that is baked onto the glasses, making them food grade and dishwasher safe. The glasses will be sold for $25 each as part of the fund-raiser.

The funds raised from ARTini help the BAC to make improvements to its East Bank Gallery, Emerging Artist Gallery, East Bank Theatre, balcony, offices and Artist One Stop.

The BAC is rooted in a local arts organization which teamed up with the City of Bossier in 1980. Four years later, the BAC became an independent entity, but remains closely partnered with the city in promoting art and expanding opportunities in theater, visual arts, festivals, exhibits, art education, public art and grant opportunities.

The council offers a wide range of programming, both traditional galleries and nontraditional community galleries, as well as outreach projects in the community to engage children. For many years, the BAC has presented art through its East Bank Theatre and East Bank Gallery; more recent programming includes DigiFest and the Budding Artist Association. All of the programming help provide a range of artistic experiences so that the arts are not only preserved but thriving for future generations.

Community outreach and educational programming are important parts of the BAC’s overall mission, including helping students in need and motivating interests and participation in art-related activities. The BAC works with area schools to bring in artists, including authors, to not only broaden the minds of area youth but also to demonstrate that a love for the arts can turn into a rewarding career.

Project Art Supplies is an ongoing effort that puts art supplies in the hands of Bossier students.

In addition, the council provides art classes and a classroom.

The Budding Artist Association for high school students in Caddo and Bossier meets once a month to help students develop their portfolios for college scholarships. “We also teach them about community service and its importance and how to serve on a board of directors,” said Jones.

An Artist One Stop provides opportunity for artists to learn the business side of art, such as how to write an artist statement and bio, how to apply for galleries, how to market themselves, how to launch Web sites, upload galleries and use e-mail.

The East Bank Theatre, one of BAC’s longest-running projects, is an intimate theater that seats approximately 120 people and a wide variety of shows and performances. Utilized by the BAC, local renting companies and first-time playwrights, the theater sees over 10,000 audience members each year.

BAC, dedicated to re-examining what the arts mean in today’s culture, provides programming that respects this desire to apply arts in people’s daily lives, according to their mission, and is always looking for new members. Annual membership costs $25 ($10 for students or military) and includes free classes and workshops, notice of all exhibits and events, notice of auditions for East Bank Theatre shows and call to artists for the East Bank Gallery.

TICKETS:

Tickets for ARTini are $65 each and can be purchased by visiting www.bossierarts.org or call 741-8310.