On Friday, September 11th, more than 700 guests gathered at Aspire’s Administrative Offices in Getzville, for the 12th Annual Art & Wine Celebration. With Universal Mind providing a magnificent soundtrack for the evening, attendees sampled beer and a variety of wines. They also enjoyed culinary fare from several local eateries; including Lloyd’s, Wegmans, Embers, and Theodore’s Red Hots.
The Art & Wine Celebration, sponsored by KeyBank, is an annual event recognizing the amazing artistic contributions of the members of the iXpress Arts Program. Several carefully selected paintings, donated by iXpress artists, were included in the always exciting live Auction, emceed once again by WGRZ’s Scott Levin.
“I’ve been doing this event for at least the past five years,” explained Levin to the event attendees. “And I have to tell you, this is by far my favorite event of the year. These artists are so talented, and it is always a great time.”
All funds raised from this event are used for continued support of iXpress, an innovative, expressive arts program for individuals with a varying range of capabilities. Participants, working with Aspire Art Facilitators create poetry, music, and works of art on a variety of medias.