You’re Invited to a Cool & Fancy Gala
Tickets are now on sale for our benefit gala featuring the eleven doors of the “Southport, Open Your Doors” project! Thanks to the generosity of local artists, businesses and residents, they have been on parade in various locations throughout Southport since October. The Open Doors Final Reunion Tour will be the last time these vividly imagined artworks will be seen in public.
The gala will be held from 4-7pm on Sunday, March 27, at the Lord Street campus of Brunswick Community College. Early Bird tickets are $100 per person until March 5th, then $150 until ticket sales close March 20th. Come in fancy cocktail dress and enjoy live entertainment by the award-winning Cat5 Band, hors d’oeuvres and desserts by Middle of the Island caterers, an open beer and wine bar, and a silent auction, in addition to a live auction of the doors.
Learn more at upyourarts.org/doors
Art Center Updates
Proceeds from the sale of the doors and other goodies during the March 27 gala will benefit Up Your Arts’ efforts, including our work to create a community-based art center in downtown Southport. Payment for architectural services to design the renovation of the Old Brunswick County Courthouse and former city hall building on Moore Street is the next step in our “Save the Hall, Y’all” campaign.
As of this writing, Up Your Arts is moments away from signing a contract for schematic drawings, the first of three critical components in the full architectural service package. Look for an announcement including details about the architect soon!
Hot Off The Press For Music Lovers
Huge news to chase away the winter doldrums:
American Fish Company plans to resume Up Your Arts’ weekly Open Mic Night the first Thursday in March!
Even though it will still be cold, March 3 is the official start of our 2022 celebration of local music and it’s less than a month away!
We Didn’t Forget The Visual Arts!
Calling all painters out there, you still have time to register for the 2022 Southport Plein Air Festival, jointly sponsored by Up Your Arts and the City of Southport on May 13-14. If you were ever on the fence about painting the great outdoors while in the great outdoors, now’s your chance to try it. We have limited capacity, so don’t delay signing up! Register here.
The festival has big plans for the general public this year, too. On Friday, May 13, the Back Porch Rockers are putting on a benefit show for us from 6-8pm outside the Southport Community Building (bring your lawn chairs) and Saturday, May 14, is dedicated to Kid’s Plein Air, live entertainment, and food trucks in Keziah Park all day before the start of the Wet Paint Sale and awards ceremony at 4pm.
Brought to You by..
Thanks to Brunswick Arts Council, performers at Keziah Park during the 2022 Southport Plein Air Festival will be funded by a North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Grant recently awarded to Up Your Arts for $1,250. Stay tuned for details about the program, which will be focused on various aspects of Hispanic culture.
Volunteers Extraordinaire
Up Your Arts is now ably represented by three talented members of the community who have volunteered to perform critical functions for the organization. If you haven’t already met them, let us take this opportunity to introduce Volunteer Coordinator Amy Russo, Development Director Kathy Cabral, and Public Art Director Debra McLendon.?
 | Amy Russo, Volunteer Coordinator Amy is the person who responds when you sign up to help with an event or to provide focus for longer-term projects. She keeps track of everyone’s preferences and will only press you into service if you tell her to. A friendlier face you won’t find if you have some time on your hands to help out! |
 | Kathy Cabral, Development Director Kathy develops relationships between Up Your Arts and sponsoring partners. Talk with her about providing financial support for our mission, whether to establish an individual legacy, to connect with a foundation, or to facilitate corporate giving. Your money is in very good hands with Kathy. |
 | Deb McLendon, Public Art Director Debra is our newly minted public art guru with the patience and skill equal to the vision needed to create an outdoor presence for the arts in Southport. She will be taking a look at any and all opportunities for such projects, planning and executing viable next steps. If we had to guess, “art in public spaces” will soon be right up there with “salubrious breezes” to portray our fanciful city. |
Thank you for catching up with us! Until the next one…
Sign up. Show up. Celebrate and enjoy!
The folks at Up Your Arts
Up Your Arts is a non-profit organization founded in 2017 to support and enhance the creative and performing arts throughout the greater Southport area. To learn more, please visit our website at www.upyourarts.org