ARTinis Brings Out the Ghouls and Gals in Big Night to Support the Arts Over $41,000 raised for Ottawa Artists

AOE Arts Council ’s annual ARTinis Halloween themed event on Thursday October 29, 2015, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., held at the Shenkman Arts Centre was an enormous hit with over 300 in attendance to support the Arts in Ottawa. ** ** Costumed guests, Mayor Jim Watson, political leaders and supporters, Ottawa’s business and arts community members were all treated with tricks, surprises and many sweet and savoury offerings during the evening. The night started off with Dracula making a grand entrance; performed by one of Ottawa’s leading young actors, ** Attila Clemann ** and MC ** Wendy Daniels of BOOM FM 97.9 ** .

New to the event was the use of the Richcraft Theatre, or the ‘Crypt’ for the night, as a cool lounge. The black box theatre space had a generous seating area, ** Beaus Craft Beer ** and a wine bar, bites by ** Cuisine & Passion ** and a souvenir photo booth run by ** Anchor Climate Care ** .  The ** Miguel de Armas Latin Jazz Quartet ** created the vibe for the night while playing in an eerie atmosphere of a creeping fog that cascaded over an impressive graveyard under a massive crafted chain chandelier with floating spectres.

“There were plenty of photo ops and selfies being taken,” says Kathy MacLellan, President of AOE Arts Council. This type of event brings out a lot of volunteers and talent to put together and what a show we put on for our guests. All night I heard how this is the best ARTinis ever.”

In addition to the sale of ARTinis tickets and bar sales, funds were raised by the sale of popular ‘Mystery Balloons’, a silent auction and a draw for Porter Airlines tickets. Even some of the décor went on the auction block along with the carved pumpkins that were sculpted in front of guests by artists: ** Adrian Garcia, Patrick Imai and Angela Verlaeckt Clark. ** “On ARTinis, we provided a place for the arts community to ‘play’ and contribute to the cause through the visual arts with sculptors, and visual artists ** Mark Stephenson ** and ** Ted Johnston ** and performing arts,” says AOE Arts Council’s Executive Director Victoria Steele who had her makeup done by ** OnScene FX ** . More importantly, our annual event ARTinis is one way we create paid opportunities for the professional artists who animated the event. “We brought business and the public closer to our world and hopefully shed more light on our accomplishments and goals,” she adds. ** ** ARTinis goers mixed their own brand of humour and intrigue with their creative costumes ranging from classic horror to down to the last detail cosplay. ** OCCO Kitchen ** and ** Epicuria ** kept appetites coming back for more while the ARTinis bar run by ** Ottawa Cocktails ** entertained guests with flair bartending and a choice of two signature mixed cocktails. The evening was complete with the arrival of a flash mob of zombies who performed to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’.

AOE Arts Council wishes to thank the two presenting sponsors ** Ottawa at Home Magazine ** for their generous support and ** Mixed Media Group ** who did all the special lighting and effects for the night. We also want to thank major sponsors ** Pathway Hyundai ** , ** Trinity Development, Porter Airlines ** and ** BOOM 99.7 ** ** FM ** and to all the ARTinis sponsors, donors and suppliers who made the event a success.

A special mention of thanks to those who donated or loaned many items towards the décor, to our ‘Army of Darkness’ who committed countless hours to creating all the props and to all the volunteers, Shenkman Arts Centre crew, AOE Arts Council staff and Board for setting up the event spaces to transform them into a spooky maze, pumpkin stage, mansion macabre and the ‘Crypt’. ** About the Cause ** In its eight year, AOE Arts Council’s premier fundraiser provides artists and art lovers a chance to mingle with business, political and community leaders to show their support for the work of AOE Arts Council, its members and the arts community.

AOE Arts Council has been working with Ottawa’s arts community for 28 years to build a vibrant and sustainable sector.  As a dynamic, bilingual arts service organization, the Arts Council that aims to connect, champion and collaborate to bring resources together that build a thriving Ottawa arts community. We believe that Ottawa is a dynamic cultural capital where the practice of art is meaningful and contributes positively to the development of the city and the quality of life of its citizens.

Together, the goal was to meet the Arts Council’s $40,000 to fund opportunities for local artists and to support Ottawa’s vibrant arts community.