Pratt Live! A Virtual Telethon Live-Stream Airing on July 18, 6-9pm

Pratt Live! A Virtual Telethon Live-Stream Airing on July 18, 6-9pm 07/07/2020

For Immediate Release July 7, 2020

Contact: Angela Brown, Marketing and Communications Director, abrown@pratt.org

Artist Demonstrations in Live-Stream from Pratt Studios at Pratt Park in the Historic Central Area Arts & Cultural District in Seattle, WA

SEATTLE, WASH - Pratt Live! A Virtual Telethon will take place online on Saturday July 18 from 6-9pm. The virtual telethon will offer an evening of live-stream artist demonstrations, a limited live auction, and a VIP at-home dining experience.

The telethon format is an evolution from Pratt’s annual fine art auction cancelled this past Spring due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The unique approach Pratt is taking is combining aspects of their art auction and free open house events to showcase local artists in the studio spaces that the community is so eager to return to or discover. Viewers can tune in for the full three hours or pop in and out of live-stream throughout the program. The virtual event will be hosted live by auctioneer Ian Lindsay and Executive Director Steve Galatro, with special guest Hilary Lee as on-site correspondent.

Galatro shared, “As we grapple with the widespread impacts of COVID-19, I am thrilled that we have found a way to raise necessary funds while offering a free evening of artistic inspiration for all to enjoy.”

Though viewing the event is free for the general public on YouTube, Pratt Live! is a critical fundraising effort as part of Pratt’s ongoing Creative Resilience Campaign. The Campaign aims to ensure that Pratt’s vital programs may contribute to a community-wide rejuvenation and to secure the long-term health of the Center itself. Donations toward Pratt Live! will be accepted before and throughout the live-stream event, when all gifts will be acknowledged and total fundraising will be tabulated.

“In the art-making process, things don’t always go as planned. The artist must process, adapt and innovate in order to overcome any number of unexpected challenges. This is the kind of resilience we all could use a little of right now, and it is exactly what we hope to share with you through Pratt Live!,” Galatro said.

The live stream will feature demos by Seattle artists Eva Funderburgh, Henry Jackson-Spieker, Sharrey Doré, Che Lopez, Romson Bustillo, and Tom Henscheid. A limited live auction will feature four artist works from artists Chuck Lopez, Kim Van Someren, Ed Archie NoiseCat, Etsuko Ichikawa, and Pohlman Knowles. Also included in the limited live auction are two round trip tickets on Alaska Airlines. Bidding will open at noon on July 18 and close during the live-stream event.

The virtual event will be a combination of pre-recorded and live footage all captured while respecting Phase 2 state guidelines, mask usage, and social distancing precautions.

Printmaker and Pratt instructor Kim Van Someren says, “We need art to survive. We need to be able to explore our own creativity, to be able to exercise our emotions, whether they're sad or happy. That’s what Pratt provides, is that foundation, that space, for those things to come together.”

Pratt Live! is free and open to the public for viewing and people are encouraged to take advantage of this new online format and share the event far and wide with extended family and friends eager for dynamic fine arts programming. You can catch the live-stream on Pratt’s YouTube channel from 6-9pm on July 18. Detailed information can be found on their website at https://www.pratt.org/prattlive.

If you are local and register as a VIP by 11am on July 8 you can reserve a farm to fork dinner by Madres Kitchen, delivered to your home with cocktails included. The first 100 people to purchase the VIP package will receive a special VIP gift from Glass Eye Studio.

ABOUT PRATT

Pratt Fine Arts Center instructs 4,300 students a year in their five discipline community art center in Pratt Park in Seattle’s Central Area. Named after civil rights activist Edwin T. Pratt, the organization’s mission is to foster a creative, inclusive art-making community, providing access to quality education and professionally equipped studios for everyone. Pratt’s programs promote the joy and transformative power of art and actively support the development of visual artists. Pratt Fine Arts Center offers classes for all skill levels and abilities. It is the only facility in the Northwest where absolute beginners and established professional artists work side-by-side creating art in glass, sculpture, jewelry and metalsmithing, wood, painting, drawing and printmaking. Pratt provides affordable studios with unparalleled state-of-the-art equipment and professional artist instruction to create an environment where students learn and create.