Fundraiser: Art for The Key's Sake

If your wall decor isn't matching your taste these days, The Key () wants to talk to you.

For the past three months The Key, a free Northfield youth center owned and operated by young people, has been collecting art donations leading up to an art sale, which is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, at  .

More than 250 pieces of art have been collected, according to Bob Dobrow, an adult board member for the nonprofit, which is the longest-running youth-led organization in the country. More pieces are still being donated, he said.

"There is a huge variety, including ceramics, posters, beautiful photographs and work by well-known area artists," Dobrow told Patch.

With the number of pieces of art donated, Zach Pruitt, an adult board member of The Key, said it should be "quite an event!"

Some of the pieces will be up for a silent auction, while most pieces will be marked between $5 and $500. There will also be a table with $1 art for sale. All proceeds benefit The Key.

The sale comes at a critical time for the nonprofit, Dobrow said.

At the end of the year, a federal stimulus grant will expire that provided approximately $60,000 to pay all staff salaries at The Key, including executive director Amy Merritt. Dobrow said that amount is nearly 60 percent of the nonprofit's budget.

The money is a portion of a larger grant that provides support for all PRIMEtime programs, including Youth Center, the elementary school PLUS program and . Together, these programs serve more than 1,000 youth each year, Dobrow said.

The buzz for the sale has been good, Dobrow said. He hopes the turnout will be even better. And while there hasn't been any discussion about making this an annual event, Dobrow said should Thursday go well, it definitely will be talked about.

You can also find an event page for the sale on Facebook.

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Northfield Community Art Sale
WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23
WHERE: Weitz Center for Creativity
WHO: Open to the public 

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