Party for a Purpose!

freshART Auction Supports Community Youth Education

A walk in the park for 30 local artists turned into a boon for Northern Kentucky schoolchildren at Behringer-Crawford Museum's annual freshART auction. 

The artists used Covington's Devou Park as their studio to create new artwork en plein air for the 32nd annual fundraiser, which brought in over $13,000 in art sales alone for the museum's youth education programs. The gala event, which also included a silent auction of dozens of previously created works, took place September 7.

Three of the freshART pieces were selected as recipients of this year's Patricia & William Applegarth Artists Excellence Awards. First place went to Monica Namyar for "Sanctuary, Devou," an acrylic and modeling paste on canvas.  Christine Moore's "Mutter Gottes," an oil on canvas, took second. Ursula Brenner won third with her acrylic, mixed media on canvas, "A Discovery in Time." 

Three high school students were also honored in the sixth annual Connie O'Donnell Student Art Invitational hosted by BCM at freshART in honor of the late Villa Hills artist to provide local high school students a chance to showcase their talent. Covington Catholic High School senior Anthony Epplen of Independence, KY, took first place for  with a charcoal portrait of a Coca-Cola glass and can. The artwork won him a $250 prize plus $500 for his school's art program.

Honorable mentions went to Melissa Geiman of Notre Dame Academy with her pencil drawing and Landon Walker of Covington Catholic High School with his colored pencil illustration. 

The auction was held live at the museum, with BCM Trustees Casmir Thornberry, Tommy Simendinger and Pam Spoor as emcees. The live auction was conducted by H. David Wallace, chairman and CEO of Heritage Bank.

Major sponsors for freshART 2024 included Lisa and Norm Desmarais, MassMutual Ascend Life Insurance Co. 360 Painting of Cincinnati, Robert W. Baird, Mike Dempsey, Bellevue Family Dentistry, Central Bank & Trust, Corporex, Earl Franks Sons/Daughters, Ellison Painting, Heritage Bank, Keating Meeting & Klekamp PLL, Phylis & Jack Moreland, Northwest Law, Bob & Brenda Reineke, Republic Bank, Schneller Knochelmann Plumbing, Heating & Air, Ruth and Richard & Pam Spoor.

BCM Executive Director Laurie Risch said, "FreshART 2024 was a tremendous success, thanks to the incredible talent of our participating artists, the generous support from our sponsors, and the enthusiastic buyers who helped make this event so special. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, which added to the magic of the evening. This event highlights the strength and creativity of our community, and we look forward to many more years of inspiring collaboration and support for the museum and its programs."

Check out highlights from freshART 2024 below:

Thank you to all of our freshART sponsors and supporters!

Lisa and Norm Desmarais

MassMutual Ascend Life Insurance Co.

360 Painting of Cincinnati

Robert W. Baird, Mike Dempsey

Bellevue Family Dentistry

Central Bank & Trust

Corporex

Earl Franks Sons/Daughters

Ellison Painting 

Heritage Bank

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Phyllis and Jack Moreland

Northwest Law

Bob & Brenda Reineke

Republic Bank

Schneller Knochelmann Plumbing, Heating & Air

Richard and Pam Spoor

Patricia & William Applegarth Artists Excellence Award and

John Boh

Adams Law, ATech Training, G.M. Conway Family Fund, Courtesy Automotive, Marcia Heflin Kerby, Edward Jones, Frederick Doll, Frame and Hang Studio Gallery, Frontier Airlines, CVG, Jackson Interiors, McD Concrete, O'Donnell Group, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Sigmund R. Sugarman and Ana Sofia & Casmir Thornberry