Community members unveiled their support for Aspire of WNY’s iXpress Art Program on Friday, September 13th, at Aspire of WNY’s annual Art and Wine Celebration at Kleinhan’s Music Hall in Buffalo. This year, there was an elegant twist—A masquerade theme! Guests came dressed in their best, showing off masks of all different colors and styles for a fabulous night of sipping, savoring, and supporting the arts!
The Art and Wine Celebration featured live and silent auctions, food and beverage samplings from a wide array of local vendors that sponsored the event, a Lake Erie wine trail table, a wine wheel, a popcorn bar, live music by Universal Mind, a photobooth, live painting exhibitions, and the chance to purchase artwork created by iXpress Aspiring artists. Vendors that were present at the event included Wegmans, The Cheesy Chick, Blue Fire BBQ, Ilio DiPaolo’s, Venus Greek & Mediterranean, Platter’s Chocolates, Southern Tier Brewing, Labatt USA, Hartman’s Distilling Co., Johnson Estate, and Premier Wine and Spirits.
To truly embrace the masquerade theme, attendees participated in a collaborative Mask Mosaic experience. Guests were invited to paint a section of an oversized mask to help bring to life a collective masterpiece. This unique creation will have a lasting legacy, eventually being displayed in an Aspire of WNY building– a tribute to everyone who supported the iXpress Art Program at the 2024 Art and Wine Celebration!
As the evening progressed, attention shifted to the stage as the Buffalo Bandits bagpiper Alex Stugis signaled for the start of the live auction as he played the bagpipes. Attendees raised their paddles to place bids on four original iXpress art pieces: From Shadow to Light, Jumpin’ Josh, Olympic Dreams, and Sunset in the Field. The auction was conducted by RJ from Auctioneers International, as he called out bids in traditional fast-talk fashion.
Attendees of the event were also given the opportunity to sponsor an iXpress artist. Three different levels of sponsorship were offered, including the Monet level, the Van Gogh level, and the Andy Warhol level. The Monet level sponsorship helps bring an artist’s vision to life by providing supplies, the Van Gough level sponsorship helps to provide transportation, supplies, and programming, and the Andy Warhol level sponsorship funds an iXpress artist for an entire year. If you are still interested in supporting an iXpress artist, you can do so by visiting the following webpage: https://www.aspirewny.org/sponsor-an-artist/
“We are so thankful for all our amazing sponsors, vendors, and supporters, for helping bring this event to life year-after-year. The funds that are raised through this event allow us to provide opportunities for creative expression for the individuals that are supported by the iXpress Art Program,” shares Renee Filip, President and CEO at Aspire of WNY.
“Art and Wine is always such a magical night, where we come together to celebrate the achievements of the iXpress Aspiring artists throughout the year. This year felt even more special, with the guests having the unique opportunity to express themselves through the masks they chose to wear. Art and Wine is all about celebrating creativity and artistic expression, so it felt like the perfect touch to the night,” explains Amy Holdnack, Coordinator of Day Services at Aspire of WNY.
This year’s Art and Wine Celebration was only made possible by the support of our amazing sponsors that support Aspire of WNY: Barclay Damon, Bonadio Group, Bond Schoeneck & King, Corebridge Financial, Hover Networks, Independent Health, Jennifer Ball & James McLellan, Keller Technology Corporation, KeyBank, M&T Bank, Mary Anne Coombe, Melissa & Troy Roth, P&A Administrative, Parkview Health Services, Rich Products Corporation, Rusiniaks Service Inc., Toshiba, Tri Main Development, USI, and Walsh Duffield Companies, Inc.
