Abracadabra: Third Annual Fundraising Art Exhibition and Raffle

This past month, the Arts and Culture Center of Hollywood held the Abracadabra: Third Annual Fundraising Art Exhibition and Raffle, an event that invites the public to join the efforts of a charitable cause through their involvement in an up-for-grabs chance of a lifetime presenting 100 works of art in all media. Artists and galleries are selected each year by Curator of Exhibitions, Jane Hart, and the Abracadabra Event Committee, in an effort started by the Arts and Culture Center of Hollywood in 2008. “We were looking to create an innovative approach to fundraising that would highlight our focus on contemporary art and emerging and mid-career artists, while showcasing the center’s historic building and gallery space,” explains Executive Director of Abracadabra Joy Satterlee, an endeavor that has proven to be a “spectacular success”.

Indeed, the center’s incredible architectural presence and dedicated space of the arts gives great promise to the future of this and many other events. It is after all these goings-on that keep the community active and involved in the arts. The promotion and development of local communities are what keep our cities current and moving. The work of organizations like the Arts and Culture Center of Hollywood are worthy of our gratitude, making it their mission to enrich South Florida, our home.

Participating artists at Abracadabra include some of the top talents of South Florida like Eduardo del Valle and Mirta Gomez, Xavier Cortada, Carol Prusa, Michelle Weinberg, and Pablo Constrisciani. At $375 a ticket, the chance to take home a piece by one of these artists is a total steal as not a single ticket holder goes home empty handed! In fact, it was this idea that inspired the event’s very name, “Abracadabra”, as Satterlee describes, “It’s magic. Now you see it, now you don’t! A reflection of the evening which starts with a gallery filled with art and ends with the ticket buyers removing their winning selections from the walls and taking them home with them.” Although the concept of a raffle is about as old and traditional as American pie, it’s realization at such an event is definitely unconventional and exciting, as most would perhaps consider an auction a more appropriate format for the arts especially with the participation of distinguished galleries like Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Anthony Spinello Gallery, David Castillo Gallery, and others. However, it is exactly this departure from the norm what makes Abracadabra’s vibe so much fun as Satterlee emphasizes, “the atmosphere on the night of the raffle is lively since everyone who bought a ticket knows they are going to take home an original work of art,” she continues, “they just didn’t know which one!”