Monday, November 23, 2009

Giving Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for! Loving parents, wonderful children, supportive spouses, beloved pets, God-given talents. Food, shelter, friends, education, communication. Freedom, liberty, congregation, community. Living in a time and place of plenty and unprecedented opportunity.

What are YOU thankful for? Click "comment" and share with us!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! May this year's holiday remind us of our good fortune, and galvanize our resolve to help share it with others.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

We Have Arrived

You know you've arrived when the press does a story about you, without you sending them a press release! So here we are, with a story about our recent Celebration of Art in the most recent issue of The Jewish Review. We even got a color picture! It's a nice story, and it mentions quite a few of the artists who participated in our Art Show.

Take a look: http://www.jewishreview.org/arts/ora-artists-showcase-wares