Education Foundation has art for auction

Sparta — The newest auction item available at the Cabaret will make football fans clear their calendars for April 4. It is the opportunity to attend a cocktail party with a number of the World Champion New York Giants and, when the party the winner will walk away with an autographed helmet signed by those members. Other prizes are a Tuscan villa and a fighter pilot experience. Cabaret on the Boardwalk is a philanthropic evening of dinner, dancing and auction items, including art. A group of local artists will display several of their original art pieces at Cabaret and will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Sparta Education Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization formed for the benefit of the Sparta public schools. “The mission of the foundation is to raise funds and awareness about the public schools and to contribute to educational and academic excellence,” said Suzann Schroepfer, an SEF Trustee and Cabaret organizer. “Great school districts do not happen by accident, great school districts are the cornerstone of every great community and that is what Sparta is. The foundation was formed to invest in the future our community’s most valuable resources, our schools and our children. The SEF provides the vehicle for parents, local businesses, corporations, and residents, to make a difference and to invest in that future,” Schroepfer said. The artists who will have their work on display are: Jennie Trail Schaeffer, named “Best New Artist” in 2006 by SCAHC, is an emerging artist who has exhibited in the NYC metro area, with work located in a growing number of private collections. Alice Harrison, whose work has been exhibited widely in galleries and universities throughout the US, Europe, Mexico and New Zealand. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and can be found in many private collections as well as in collections of the Noyes Museum and Johnson & Johnson Corp. and in several publications. Kathy Morawski is a well known equine and collage artist with works in many collections worldwide. Her Quarter Horse created for the Trail of Painted Ponies has been recently featured in two newly published books. She also won the People’s Choice Award for her collage work at her last exhibit. Dora Homann is a New Jersey native with a BFA in painting and art education from Parsons School of Design. Some of her paintings were published in the Parsons-Otis Magazine and subsequently, her work was shown at the New School gallery in Manhattan. Valerie Ellen Magro is a self-taught professional artist and designer. Her paintings have won numerous awards in all media and are displayed in galleries, public buildings and are also in numerous private collections in the USA, many of them being commissioned works. Ted Petrochko, a Vernon photographer and potter, expresses his passion through color, form, and texture, three basic elements that precede function, attracting the eye, mind, and touch. Jane H. Rapp lives in Fredon and is a member of many art groups in the state. She has been honored with several awards for photography and has been accepted to numerous juried art shows, including a “one woman” photography show at the Les Malmut Gallery, Union, N.J. Liza Smith has been painting since childhood. She has exhibited in NYC and numerous exhibits and art shows in New Jersey. She has been a “featured artist” at the Art in Sussex County called, “It’s on the Menu.” Joanna West, originally from Staten Island, N.Y., now lives in Green Township. West has a BA in Fine Arts from Bethany College, KS. Her style is described as eclectic, playful and whimsical. She has received several awards and honorable mentions and in 2005, her original oil painting, “The Gotcha Moment!” was selected and featured for the month of August by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service calendar art contest. Doris Schwint is an illustrator and free lance artist in New York and New Jersey, who specializes, in illustrations, house portraits and pet portraits. She has had several gallery exhibits in N.J. Lois Lester is mostly self-taught but has attended many workshops and has had some formal art training in oil, watercolor and acrylics. She has exhibited her work in many local art shows. Her work is found in many private collections. Grace A. Hoffman, a graduate of Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore with a BFA in painting and a BFA in art education, has studied with Pat Redline, Julie McWilliams and Toni Chaplin. Gina Marie D’Angelo, described as a “renaissance woman,” is currently a student at SCCC studying Art Education. She experiments with painting, drawing, sewing, sculpture, fiber, printmaking, performance and musical art. A limited number of tickets to Cabaret are available for $55 per person. Call 877-472-1731 x 3 for Dorothy, or visit the SEF Web site at SpartaEducationFoundation.org. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and auction donations will be accepted until March 17.