The Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society is gearing up for their biggest fundraiser of the year: the 17th annual Paws For Art to be held Thursday at The Jefferson.
Paws for Art is a huge live and silent art auction with around 70 varied pieces of art, from paintings to woodwork to sculptures, for sale. Local artists have teamed up with the Humane Society and donated some of their work to be sold at the auctions. The proceeds go toward the Humane Society’s expenses in providing food, shelter and vaccinations for the hundreds of animals that come through the shelter. Paws for Art includes work from local artists like Wyatt Waters, Bill Dunlap and Bradley Gordon. The silent auction will at 7 p.m.
“It is a lot of fun because the animal world and the art world don’t always come together,” Jenn Peterman, executive director of Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society, said. “It’s really a great way to bring the community together.”
There will be hors d’oeuvres and a cocktail hour with animal-themed drinks, bottomless beer and bottomless wine glasses painted by students at the Montessori School.
If you want to beat the crowd, Paws for Art offers a preview party starting at 6:30 p.m., giving an early entry to see the items in silent auction. The preview party also includes extra drink tickets and extra hors d’oeurves.
Guests can also experience live painting by Kathryn Dossett from Studio Whimzy, a local art studio. Dosset will paint pictures of participants’ pets for purchase at the event.
Musician Tori Tollison will also be providing live entertainment. This is Tollison’s second time teaming up with the Humane Society to perform at Paws for Art.
According to Petermann, Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society has raised $70,000 through a prior Paws for Art event.
“It really contributes to everything we planned for the whole year so it’s important for people to attend and help make a difference in these animals’ lives,” said Peterman. “At any given minute there’s usually between 180 and 190 animals here that we’re trying to vaccinate and feed, so Paws for Art is a great event to participate in, especially since we take in around 4,000 animals every year.”
Tickets for the preview party are $125 and grant early entry and the chance to bid on items before the crowd arrives at 6:30 p.m. The auction party runs from 7-9:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $75, and couple tickets are $100. The tickets cover food, drinks and admission to both auctions and live music. The Humane Society encourages participants to wear their favorite cocktail dress or favorite pair of cowboy boots to the all-ages event.
