Pilsen Open Studio Fundraiser Gala

On October 21st and 22nd of this year, the Pilsen arts community will be holding its 10th annual Pilsen Open Studios art walk, a locally produced, premier event that is apart of Chicago's Artist Month. This past Saturday, September 15th at the National Museum of Mexican Art on 19th Street, community volunteers came together to raise money in support of the Pilsen Open Studio event. The Pilsen Open Studio Fundraiser Gala was an production held by the artists and who will be involved in the Pilsen Open Studio art walk this October as well as other community partners who donated their time, money and services to this cause. There was free food, drink and entertainment including flamingo dancers and a live band.

Tickets sold prior to the evening and at the door all helped fund the event as well as funding the art walk this October. The most exciting part of the evening was that the artists participating in the art walk donated a wonderful range of visual art that was available for bidding at reduced prices at a silent auction that was ongoing throughout the night. These artists donated paintings, prints, sculptures and hand crafted jewelry. The funds raised at the auction were given back to help the Pilsen Open Studio art walk. The fundraiser gala was a huge success helping promote a vast majority of locally based Pilsen artists as well as raising a huge amount of money that will go to helping promote art in the Pilsen Community. The gala was a wonderful expression of Pilsen's culture and community celebrating its roots in Mexican and Latino culture, visual and performing arts. 

To learn more about the Pilsen Open Studio art walk on October 21-22, 2012 visit http://pilsenopenstudios.net/ and for news and information about the Pilsen neighborhood go to http://www.pilsenportal.org/index.html. To learn about Mexican art and culture visit http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/ or visit the museum at its regular hours