Well, wasn’t this a clever idea!
Students from the Orcutt Academy High School posed in living art tableaux at the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation’s (OCAF) recent annual gala, “An Evening at the Louvre.” The gala was held on Saturday, March 4, at the Santa Maria Country Club
OCAF event committee chairperson Allison Smith and her peers wanted guests to feel like they were in an art museum.
To that end, they hung students’ visual art on panels around the country club dining room.
The living art participants stood still as could be for a very long time while portraying pieces like Madame X (John Singer Sargent) and The Scream (Edward Munch).
The Louvre is the fabled museum of art located in Paris. Guests were encouraged to dress “French.” Dr. Ray and Courtney Arensdorf obliged by donning the traditional Parisian chapeau—berets—and dressing like visitors from Paris’s Left Bank. Wendy Thies Sell could not help looking like she was strolling down the Champs d’Elysees. She looked ever so chic in black and white.
This very popular event attracted about 240 people. OCAF Executive Director Ali Bailey happily reported that the event sold out two weeks before the date.
Chris and Dr. Joe Slaughter were on hand. Chris, now executive director of the Discovery Museum, had been involved with OCAF from the very beginning.
Rob and Sandy Buchanan, Jan Zilli, Mike Tavisola, and Alphonse and Amy Curti were among the crowd.
Representing Allan Hancock College’s Fine Arts Department was John Hood (with wife Debra) and Nancy Jo Ward (with husband Rick Sweet). Representing all of Hancock was college President Kevin Walthers (with wife Shannon Elliott).
This event had some nice, fresh touches.
The Four Chordsmen, a barbershop quartet from Orcutt Academy High School, delighted the audience with a medley of music.
Table settings were festive and the visuals fantastic. At each place, there was a little paper bag—either black and white polka dot or turquoise with white stripes—with a gold seal. Each bag held a white chocolate peanut butter cloud candy from Central City Candy & Gifts in the Town Center East mall. Bags were tied with either black or turquoise ribbons. Talk about color coordination!
On each chair, there was a turquoise reusable shopping bag with the OCAF logo, stuffed with a French baguette, and a package of five arty postcards designed by students, along with a deliciously fragrant lavender sachet.
Raffle tickets for a wine cooler and a nice supply of wines were sold for $25 each. Raffle ticket buyers could be identified by an Eiffel Tower charm hung on a turquoise ribbon that buyers wore around their neck.
Deborah Blow, superintendent of Orcutt Schools, made a few remarks. She said that when she was interviewing for her job and learned about the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation, she knew she wanted to accept a position in this community. “What drew me to this district,” she said, “was OCAF.” A place that put a value of arts in the schools was the perfect place for her.
Auctioneer John Glines kept the live auction action moving, and his daughter, Tayler Glines, an Orcutt Academy High School senior, assisted in the bid spotting.
The evening ended with a packed dance floor and music by D.J. Sean Dasmann.
All in all, about this evening, we have to say, “Ooh la la!”
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 6, 2017.