A Contemporary Art Auction

ARTIST MELY BARRAGÁN NEXT TO HER WORK AT LAST YEAR’S SAINT ANN LATINO CONTEMPORARY ART AUCTION

Developed in collaboration with the Culturaland Performing Arts Center (CAPA), the second annual Saint Ann Latino Contemporary Art Auction (SALCAA) is so much more than a fundraiser. It’s an elegant evening that celebrates Latino culture by way of contemporary art, music, and cuisine – all in the name of children.

In 2012, an anonymous donation was given with the purpose of initiating a scholarship fund for underprivileged children of Latino background to attend Saint Ann School. And, by 2017, 17 students had benefitted from scholarships. It was then that it was decided that this fund must be maintained and extended, so a committee was formed and SALCAA came to life.

SALCAA, which will be held at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum on March 7, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. gives guests the opportunity to meet the prominent local and international Latino artists exhibiting at the event and to bid on their artwork during the silent auction, all while enjoying authentic Latino hors d’oeuvres, and live entertainment. “In just two short years, SALCAA has become something that is exceeding our wildest expectations.

It is a thrill to watch as attendees enjoy a unique cultural experience, complete with the opportunity to own some stunning,contemporary artwork, all while raising much-needed funds for children in our community,” said Casandra Ruanova-Cordero, SALCAA chair. And, the level of talent lends itself to the hype and success this event has already established in just a few short years.

Take for instance, Arturo Correa. Correa, who has been called “one of the finest painters that I have known in forty-two years of teaching,” by New York University professor, Marilyn Gelfman Karp, was one of 15 participating artists at SALCAA’s first event.

SAINT ANN STUDENTS CREATED ARTWORK INSPIRED BY POPULAR ARTIST AND SALCAA PARTICIPANT, ROMERO BRITTO.

Originally from Venezuela, Correa is now based in Naples. His paintings combine figure, writing, contemporary, and old iconic imagery gathered from past and present. His work is timely and hinges on the contradictions of the world around us, with a dash of dry humor that the viewer can be in on.

He strives to “fix people” by visually connecting them to the goings on of the very modern world we live in, in a simple manner.

“When I was invited last year to participate in SALCAA, the first thing that jumped to my mind was the possibility of helping others. I firmly believe that when we help others we are helping ourselves as well,” said Correa.

“And, SALCAA is a great opportunity for the people of Naples to see a wide variety of contemporary works that were carefully selected by a panel of qualified people in the art world.

By attending the event, it allows people to help a great cause and experience good art. To me, that’s a win-win. ”It’s not just auction attendees who get to have all of the fun. Saint Ann students are involved as well. For the past two years, world renowned artist, Romero Britto, has donated one of his recognizable and spectacular prints for the auction. The teachers and students were so inspired, they decided to create their own Britto-esque works of art that were then displayed throughout the school.

Art collectors, students, and local children are benefiting from this new, visionary event. Just ask a parent of a scholarship recipient who asked to remain anonymous. “This is our daughter’s third year at Saint Ann School and she loves it. The family values, spiritual teachings, and academic knowledge are excellent. We would have never been able to give our daughter this opportunity ourselves. This scholarship has been a great blessing to our family.”

SALCAA tickets are just $250 per person and can be purchased by visiting www.SALCAA.org.