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Whitefish Hosts Winter Art Fundraisers

By Beacon Staff

It may be wintry outside, but this week downtown Whitefish blooms into a colorful art hotspot. The works of renowned Flathead Valley artists grace Central Avenue windows and one gallery—both as fundraisers for two local organizations.

The annual Winter Classic Art Show and Whitefish ArtWalk pull together nearly 50 works of art–sculpture, pottery, paintings, drawings, and photography—all for the sake of raising funds for local causes. Artists donate their nationally- and internationally-known talents to support local kids who need medical care as well as scholarships for artists.

The Whitefish Winter Classic art show opens at Stillwater Gallery on Thursday night, Feb. 7. Over 20 artists donated their works to raise funds for Flathead Valley kids who need help accessing medical care out of the local area. The free opening reception Whitepreviews the art that will be auctioned off at the Winter Classic VIP dinner on Mar. 8. “There are bronzes, paintings, pottery, and jewelry. A great variety of work is coming in,” says Kristi Veseth, organizer for Stillwater Gallery at 240 Central Avenue.

Accompanied by live music performed by Steve Eckels, folks drop in from 6 – 8 p.m. for wine and hors d’oeuvres by Wasabi, Whitefish Lake Restaurant, and Pescado Blanco as they browse the works of art. Viewers vote on the Peoples Choice Award, which presents the winning artist with $150. Whitefish Pottery artists also donated six items for a special silent auction that night.

Meanwhile, the 21st annual Whitefish ArtWalk is underway. More than 25 downtown merchants turned their storefront windows into mini-galleries with works of art, all to raise money for Stumptown Art Studio’s scholarship programs. Maps for the ArtWalk are available at the Ceramics Annex, 145 Central Avenue. To enter the ArtWalk, 30 artists donated a fee toward scholarship, but their works are available for sale to the public. Artist information and prices are included in local shops windows. The ArtWalk runs through Feb. 14.