Gallery
202 silent auction to end June 23
Proceeds from months-long event will benefit Otterbein Lake
project
Thursday, June 8, 2006
By LIN RICE
ThisWeek Staff Writer
With funding nearly complete for
the Otterbein Lake project, Gallery 202 Partners in Art Inc. has devised a way
to chip away at the rest of the costs.
Gallery 202 has been holding a
silent auction for the past several weeks to benefit the project, according to
Renee Kropat, owner and curator of Gallery 202. The silent auction will come to
an end during this month's Fourth Friday celebration on June 23.
Kropat said she had two agendas
for the auction: "We were hoping for this to be twofold, one, to help the
project, and two, to educate people about the lake.
"When we started out doing
this, I was surprised to find out how that many people didn't know about the
lake or where it is, and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to
educate on that," she said.
During regular hours at the art
shop, patrons can bid on more than 60 pieces of art created by local artists,
including paintings, sculptures and jewelry, several of which reflect in some
way on Otterbein Lake, according to Kropat.
Linda Brownstein, chairwoman of
the Otterbein Lake Project steering committee, said she thinks it's important
for local residents to help with the project.
"We thought it would be a lot
of fun to get our local artists involved in the project," she said.
"We're most grateful, of course."
Brownstein said about $150,000 has
been raised for the Otterbein Lake project, which needs a total of $200,000 for
completion. Currently, the lake is being drained so that engineers can create
drawings for the first phase of construction.
"No animals are being harmed
during this process," Brownstein said. "There will be plenty of water
for the fish, as the middle of the lake is about 14 feet deep."
Patrons will be able to make their
final bids on auction items during a reception the evening of June 23, at
Gallery 202, 38 N. State St.. Kropat said a suggested value and bidding
increments are listed on each piece of artwork.
Brownstein said whatever funds are
raised by the silent auction will go toward the construction process itself,
which will consist of building a boardwalk over the lake, adding a fishing
pier, constructing a stone overlook, engineering studies and modifying the
lake's overflow structure.
Kropat said there are also five
"Wessie boxes" -- artwork based on Otterbein Lake's mythical sea
monster -- on display during the silent auction and patrons can vote for their
favorite during Fourth Friday.