Auction to Benefit Kent Children's Center

"Purple Tulips and Green Ribbon," a giclee print of a still life pastel painting by Kent artist Leslie Lillien Levy, will be among the 150 paintings to be sold in the silent auction.

A dinner cooked by Kent Selectman Rick Levy will be one of the items offered in the live auction during "An Evening of Art and Music" to benefit the Kent Children's Center on Saturday, May 11. Though many people do not know it, Levy is a gourmet cook and has donated his chef services for a dinner of eight people. This special dinner will be a team effort: KCC President Alice Bemand will serve; Levy's wife, artist and KCC board member Leslie Lillien Levy, will bake the dessert; and KCC board member Jeffrey Namm will donate the cost of all the choice ingredients to be used.

"This item is one of several that are collaborative efforts," remarked Ms. Bemand. "It came together very naturally. Another is a Week of Desserts, home-baked by seven of our board members, and prepared when you want them, throughout the year. We have a wide mix of interesting, creative and fun items for our live auction this year," she added.

Other items include a Sushi-making class at Wasabi Restaurant, a Skip Barber Driving School lesson, a wine tasting with Kent Wine & Spirits' Ira Smith, and a birthday party at Club Getaway. You can bid on a high tea for eight people served by Patti Schmer, lessons in decorative art with Just the Right Touch, or lessons in floral design at Lily's on the Green.

The silent auction will also feature fine art and crafts executed in many mediums, including acrylics, ceramics, colored pencil, fiber art, gouache, giclee prints, jewelry, lithography, oils, painted furniture, pastel, photography, sculpture and watercolor. Among the notable area artists whose work will be available are Joy Brown, Deborah Chabrian, Mel Crawford, Gayle Clarke Fedigan, David Fouts, Ann Kromer, Bob Lenz, Leslie Lillien Levy, Ed Martinez, Alison Palmer, David Riley, Bjorn Rehnquist, Lorraine Ryan, Robert Tronsden, and Peter Woytuk.

The preview exhibition and bidding will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 from noon-5 p.m. at the Kent Art Association. During this time bids for the silent auction will be accepted; programs detailing all of the live auction items will be available, as well.

The schedule for Saturday evening includes a reception from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Kent Art Association. During this time patrons can preview and bid on the artwork in a silent auction where the works of 60 area artists will be on display, while enjoying champagne and hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants. Bidding on silent items will close at 7:30 p.m., when the live auction will begin. Food for the evening will be donated by the Fife & Drum Restaurant, Bull's Bridge Restaurant, Wasabi, Carallee's, Marvelwood School and Stroble Bakery in Kent; New England Food in Cornwall; La Cupola in Litchfield; Kaleidoscope, Food for Thought, El Mariachi and Bistro Café in New Milford; and Birches Restaurant in New Preston.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Kent Children's Center, a 25-year-old nonprofit educational facility that offers quality childcare to the children of Kent and neighboring communities. Not tuition-driven, the organization relies on fundraising efforts and contributions from the United Way; a large portion of the students receive financial aid, and no one is ever turned away because of financial need. For more info on the auction, call Alice Bemand at 860-927-5035; to learn more about the Children's Center, visit <www.kentchildrenscenter.org>.