Big Top theme for annual event
The Bossier Arts Council (BAC) is putting up the Big Top for the 12th Annual ARTini for 2022.
The fundraiser is scheduled for June 11 at 7 p.m. at the Bossier Civic Center.
According to BAC Executive Director Robin N. Jones, ARTini is the celebration of culinary talents displayed by local mixologists, celebrating a featured local artist, live music and artsy cocktail attire. It is a fundraiser for the Bossier Arts Council. These funds are used to sustain programming all year round. Each year, the council works to bring a themed event that welcomes everyone in the community to celebrate arts and culture.
ARTini highlights various forms of creative expression in the culinary, musical and visual arts by having local mixologists create signature martinis and compete for the title of “Judges Choice,” “People’s Choice” and “Most M’artisanal.”
Tickets to the event are $75 and include entrance, a handpainted martini glass, live music, circus performers, fire breathers, stilt walkers, jugglers and aerial performers, catered food and over 20 different martinis.
Entertainment for the evening includes The Hollow Decks. Their show spotlights all the hits and flashes-in-the-pan from the ’90s while sporting ’90s fashion, with jokes and references to the best decade of pop nostalgia for the current generation of adults.
The 2022 Featured Artist is Lisandra Di Liberto Torres. She has spent several years building a portfolio that reveals a mixture of reality and fantasy. She may be best known for her paintings of red cows with wings. They are a favorite subject for her because the town in which she grew up in Puerto Rico is a center for the country’s milk production.
“We say that Hatillo has 38,000 people and 32,000 cows,” jokes Di Liberto.
The 2022 Mover and Shaker award will go to Vanessa Lee Hackleman. She has lived in the Shreveport-Bossier City area since 1993. Before they were married, her husband, Chris, was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base. After 27 years of service, he has since retired and continues to work as a civilian employee at BAFB.
According to Jones, the money raised is vital to the mission of the Arts Council. “For a nonprofit, unrestricted funds allow us to purchase new equipment, update software, provide new opportunities for artists and ensure that our programs continue to be enjoyed by the community as a whole.”
Restaurants, bars and organizations wishing to participate in the event can register at: https://bit.ly/3LACTrp.
Community volunteers wishing to help during this event can sign up while positions are available at: https://bit.ly/3vtH5nl
All participants must be 21 years of age or older.
