Wild About Art
Effie Yeaw Nature Center hosts Spring Gala & Auction
Words and Photos by Susan Maxwell Skinner
May 2019
Now in its ninth year operating as a nonprofit, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center is preparing for its June 8 Spring Gala & Auction with new patronage. As honorary chair, Sacramento writer Ed Goldman follows such luminaries as publisher Cecily Hastings, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, the late businessman Russ Solomon, and artists Marcy Friedman and Gregory Kondos.
Artist Pat Mahony has donated her “Purple Irises” painting to benefit of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Inspired by a Carmichael garden, the canvas was recently part of the National Watercolor Society’s exhibition and international competition.
A live auction of work by VIP and award-winning artists is the highlight of the June 8 alfresco event.
Administered by the American River Natural History Association, the facility and its preserve welcome approximately 100,000 visitors each year. “The Center has a special history in this community” notes retired Effie Yeaw executive Betty Cooper. “Caring supporters keep us open and available for future generations.”
A portion of funds raised at the gala will provide free nature-enrichment programs for schools that could not otherwise afford them.
The Sacramento Fine Arts Center is a vital art show partner supporting the fundraiser with work by artists from all over the Sacramento region. Jurists are sculptor Gary Dinnen and KVIE auction curator D. Neath.
Celebrity artists contributing this year include Pat Mahony, David Peterson, Gregory Kondos, Maria Winkler and Paula Bellacera. Keith McLane of KLM Auctions will wield the auction gavel and KCRA’s Eileen Javora will emcee.
Silent and live auctions will offer award-winning works. Travel and other lifestyle experiences also will be up for bid. From May 14, the gala art can be viewed in the “Art Where the Wild Things Are” exhibition at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center on Gibbons Drive in Carmichael. The exhibition will include photographic entries.
A sunset supper and beverages are part of the $100 per-person admission for the June 8 gala, which will be held from 5–8 p.m. at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Ancil Hoffman Park. Valet parking is free. Table sponsors are welcome.
For information on the gala, visit www.sacnaturecenter.net. To learn more about the Sacramento Fine Arts Center exhibition, visit www.sacfinearts.org.
Susan Maxwell Skinner can be reached at sknrband@aol.com.
