Public Works Art Center hosts fundraising gala

The Public Works Art Center (PWAC) in downtown Summerville is guided by the principle of making art accessible for all. Admission is always free at this 11,000-square-foot family-friendly, ever-changing center which features three galleries, multiple classroom spaces, a pottery studio, 12 artist studios and more.

On April 29, the nonprofit will host its second fundraising gala at the center, this year called the Creativity in Bloom Gala.

When you visit PWAC, you’re greeted by the tagline, ‘This is for you,’ blazed across banners flanking the entrance. Visitors are welcomed by friendly volunteers who have signed a “kindness commitment,” an agreement to treat everybody who comes into the space with the same open arms. The nonprofit art center prioritizes community through offering affordable art classes and camps, as well as free programs like open mic poetry nights, documentary screenings and more.

Executive director and one of the original founders of PWAC Jana Riley said money raised at the gala will go towards operational costs, paying staff, purchasing art supplies and funding scholarships for art classes.

“It can feel like there are so many barriers to art,” Riley said. “At Public Works, we really try to break down as many barriers as we can and make art as accessible to everybody.”

Art for everyone

The Creativity in Bloom Gala, Riley said, will go towards supporting that mission of accessibility.

“We’re trying to have this event as a way to support all the free and affordable stuff we do the rest of the year,” she said. “Every decision we make is toward that greater goal of accessibility — down to the fact that even the gala being $125 was something we wrestled with. But, we eventually decided we’re OK with one event [being ticketed] like this if it supports the greater good.”

Galas at art institutions tend to be much more expensive than a $125 ticket. Riley said even though “everyone is having a gala this time of year,” Creativity in Bloom is the “anti-gala” for its focus on accessibility, local talent and creativity, in contrast to the social-financial status symbol that attending a gala typically implies.

Creativity in Bloom attendees are asked to dress in their best “creative formal” attire to enjoy the indoor-outdoor event celebrating creativity, complete with art demonstrations, a live auction, music and floral installations by local floral designer Gretchen Cuddy.

“Outside, Gretchen Cuddy is transforming the parking lot into a garden atmosphere,” Riley said. “She’s putting down sod throughout the parking lot, creating this soft, intimate gathering space with furniture and florals everywhere. We’ll have this really beautiful entry into the area down a tunnel with art installations throughout that.”

The outdoor stage will feature live music by local indie-rock band Noah and The Space Ark, while high school orchestra students will welcome attendees by playing music at the entryway.

Inside, attendees will view the exhibits on display, including Fluid Dynamics by Anna Dean, Divine Feminine by Kate Ritchie and a show of work by local art teachers called The Artist as an Educator.

“What we’re really trying to do there is, instead of taking over the space with an event, kind of letting the space shine as what it is — this incredible place for exhibitions,” Riley said.

The live auction offers exciting prizes including tickets to Disney World, vacation packages, private chef events, local experiences, family portrait sessions and more. There is also a separate wine raffle, Riley said.

There will be a fundraising element within the gala called the “lend a hand” wall, which will help raise money for scholarships to PWAC classes, Riley said, “to make sure that anybody who wants to engage with art is able to.

“We’re trying to show what the power of creativity can do,” Riley said.

Tickets for the event are $125 a person and can be purchased on the Public Works Art Center website.