SOLD!! To the guy with the chair...

All five of our members' contributions to this year's Chair affair found buyers, helping the Community Warehouse raise $125,000 at this year's event!

It's wonderful to a part of this good cause, and encouraging to know that there were buyers for each of our offerings.



"Button Up Your View"
by Laura Joy Fendel

"Zine Zone" by Gary Pearlman




"Chair Up There" by Robin Esterkin
"Love Seat"
by Esther Liberman


"Avian Spa" by Eddy Shuldman

Chair Up There

Robin Esterkin's lovely painting, "Chair Up There" and Laura Fendel's fabric-framed mirror, "Button Up Your View" are featured on the Virtual Storefront of Community Warehouse's Estate Store. Click here to take a look, and scroll down to the entries for April 3rd and 4th.

The annual Chair Affair, which benefits Portland's Community Warehouse, will take place this Thursday, April 8th, and is totally sold out! So it's a pretty good bet that both of these beauties will be sold that night.

Other ORA artists who have contributed to this year's sale are Esther Liberman, Gary Pearlman and Eddy Shuldman. Click on each artist's name to see their Chair Affair offering. It's wonderful to be able to use our creativity to support such a good cause.

Tables, Chairs, and More

Tonight was the kick-off for the 2010 "Chair Affair" to benefit Community Warehouse of Portland. Last year we posted the wonderful contributions of some of our member artists to this worthy cause. This year some of our artists are participating again. So far, Eddy Shuldman, Robin Esterkin, and Esther Liberman are planning to create works of art for the fundraising auction.

Generally, each artist chooses a used chair and re-makes it into something cool and artistic. Then the chairs are sold at a gala auction, with all proceeds going to Portland Community Warehouse, a wonderful organization which provides household items to needy families. The Chair Affair generates a significant chunk of their annual operating expenses.

This year, artists are being asked to "think outside the chair," and expand to other household items as well, such as tables, mirrors, magazine racks, etc. The kickoff was fun, with lots of artists and supporters present at the new location of the Community Warehouse on NE MLK.

The actual auction is scheduled for April 8, 2010. We'll keep you posted on the progress of our ORA members and their chairs, etc. Meanwhile, check out the amazing creations from previous years' Chair Affairs at the Community Warehouse website, and think about what household items you might be ready to donate to this worthy organization.

Sow's Ear Becomes Silk Purse

It's time for the annual Chair Affair! This fabulous event encourages artistic creativity while raising critically needed money for the Community Warehouse.

Once again, our own Eddy Shuldman is participating, taking on the challenge of transforming an eyesore into eye candy! Pictured here is the original chair that Eddy used. If you want to see what she has done with it, the project will be on display, along with numerous others, TOMORROW evening as a First Thursday event at:
ANKA Gallery
325 NW 6th
Portland, 97209
Thursday, April 2, 2009
6-9 pm

Eddy will be there most of the time...and so will some of her students who created 2 projects for this very special cause. Additional chairs will also be on display at PH Reed Company on NW 11th/GLISAN.

The chairs will be on display at these two locations for a couple of weeks.

The transformed chairs will be sold at a gala AUCTION on April 23rd from 6-8:30 at Staver Locomotive. Ticket info can be picked up tomorrow at first Thursday, you can contact the Community Warehouse at 503.224.5721

Community Warehouse does an amazing job of providing household furnishings for the needy in our community. Given the state of our economy is is now more important than ever to support our neighbors who are facing challenges.

Better Late Than Never

It seems we never posted the update on the CHAIRS that our members created for the Chair Affair this past spring. Each chair now has its very own page on the website of the Community Warehouse. Take a look... you'll see pix of our own wonderful artists and their chair creations, as well as a blurb on each one. (And an extra bonus: photos are by our Neveh Shalom Rebbetzin, Carol Isaak.) Months later, I'm still kvelling....

http://www.communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/2008event/artists/shuldman.html

http://www.communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/2008event/artists/esterkin.html

Perfect for a "little princess wanna-be," this beautiful chair once looked like this.


Now it looks like this.








You've got to see this chair up close to appreciate the artistry. Complete with crown, this chair will transport a little girl to her fairyland castle!


Artists Diane Fredgant, Laura Fendel and Robin Esterkin have crafted an exceptional chair that will be auctioned off at the community warehouse.

Eddy's chair, see post below, has been transformed into a fountain. It is was hard to photograph (glass always is!).


The fountain is called "Waters of Life". It pumps 66 gallons of water an hour.


The Chair Affair will have Eddy's glassy chair and the princess-wanna be chairs on the auction block to benefit the COMMUNITY WAREHOUSE.

Professional photos of these chairs will soon appear on the Community Warehouse website:
http://communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/index.html and click on the chair affair for details.

Let's hope these two donations bring in some needed cash to support needy families in our community.

Eddy's Chair

Eddy writes:
The CHAIR AFFAIR is a wonderful fundraising event that benefits Portland's Community Warehouse. You can help this incredible non-profit organization by attending the auction in April. To learn more about the warehouse or the variety of ways you could support them, go to communitywarehouse.org

I am excited to announce that three ORA members (Diane, Laura and Robin) are crafting a brilliant chair for this affair....(pictures coming soon, I hope!)......

.....and I am flying solo on a separate chair.

Months ago I selected a chair from the warehouse (see the picture) . It developed cracks in the wood (my son sat on it) and every attempt to repair it simply yielded more cracks! Monday brought even more cracks. I proclaimed it the CHAIR FROM HELL then drove to to the warehouse to pick up another chair (smaller but sturdier!- see the little black chair photo).

Thanks to the help of my husband and his circular saw, my wooden reinforcements are now in place. The glass work begins tonight!

My glassy chair won't provide cush for anyone's tusch, but it will offer relief from the stress of daily life. Stay tuned for updates!....Eddy

Pull Up a Chair!

Diane, Robin and Laurie are designing a chair for The Chair Affair Benefit for The Community Warehouse.

For more information on The Community Warehouse click here.

"We were laughing and squealing and screaming with sheer delight over our ideas !!! Any little girl would LOVE this chair. "

"I guess I'm just a little girl at heart" said Laurie..... "last week I needed to buy something at Home Depot and as I walked in I saw a play house.... castle in front of the building. I ran over to it , went inside, and believe me when I tell you that if I had 1,600 extra dollars I would have bought that play house just for Moi ! I always loved play houses as a child and I still do. It had bay windows, and shutters. I was never fortunate to have a real play house as a child but I'll always dream of it."

This group chair has:

Queens and Crowns
Kingdoms
wishes
dreams
luxury
reading about fantasy and fairy tales
frou frou
ruffles
all things girly

The chair incorporates pinks, golds, glitter, snow globes, velvet and capes, into storybook magical lands.

"So jump onto the magic carpet and come away with us to fantasy land as we turn ideas and smiles into reality."

Read more about the Chair Affair and see where the chairs will be viewable.