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People and Parties

Initial fundraiser helps art gallery stay afloat

By JENNIFER STEWART
Published May 7, 2006

NEW PORT RICHEY - The gallery needs to stay open.

The quaint downtown space is not in danger of closing, but Progress Energy Art Gallery's short and irregular midday hours of operation haven't been cutting it.

That's the consensus among the organizers of an inaugural fundraiser to hire part-time employees.

Keeping the space open for the public has been the responsibility of a couple of volunteers, including the executive director.

Director Lia Gallegos "is working (at the gallery) for, actually, nothing," Greater New Port Richey Main Street executive director Judy DeBella Thomas told a crowd of about 130 at the benefit.

The invitation for "Art in Paradise" and the event's focus of sorts was Jo Baughman's watercolor of a bird of paradise plant, its hearty green shades juxtaposed with striking yellow and reddish-pink blooms.

The event, held April 23 at the Gulf Harbors Yacht Club, raised more than $12,000 for the gallery, Gallegos said. For this first auction and fundraiser, "we really didn't know what to expect. But the response was pretty overwhelming."

The result: Three part-time employees were hired to manage the gallery for longer hours, including a couple of nights a week, beginning June 1. The exact schedule will be announced soon.

Gallegos will also get the new staffers' help with more promotions and events that she would like to hold in the space, such as poetry readings. The funds for the new hires will complement a grant from Progress Energy to operate the gallery.

The fundraiser spilled out onto the yacht club's back patio, where guests partook of Juan's Black Bean Express black beans and rice and a striking view of the Gulf of Mexico.

Inside the club, food by Scallops and Skirts restaurants and sweets by Henry and Ronald C. Desserts were served as guitarist and instructor Dave Eichenberger, Gallegos' boyfriend, performed.

Lee Jordan of Palm Springs Florist in Tarpon Springs donated the flowers. Glass plates holding gardenia blooms lined the bar, and big conch shells filled with flowers decorated outdoor tables.

The silent auction items were displayed near the bar, and the live auction, with 33 paintings, photographs and other works, was held in an adjacent room.

The minimum bid was $100, but many of the pieces still went for less than what the donating artists could have sold them for.

"We're trying to educate people as to the value of art," Gallegos said. "It's a slow process."

The gallery director makes her living by doing freelance Web design and "virtual tours" in the mornings. In the afternoons, she works as a part-time marketing and promotions coordinator for Greater New Port Richey Main Street.

Yet, since she was named director in 2002, she has worked tirelessly to build momentum for the gallery and raise the bar for the quality of its art by implementing an application process for artists who seek to exhibit.

"That's automatically made the caliber of the artwork that's going in better," artist Paula Showen said.

Baughman sees the future consistent gallery hours and local talent in general as catalysts for the area.

"We have so many good actors and musicians and artists here," Baughman said. "I think that's one thing Pasco County can really jump on.

"There's so much growth here. We need to set a precedent and say we have culture here, too."

Jennifer Stewart writes about social events and personalities in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6231. Her e-mail address is jstewart@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 09:49:01]