On Sat., Feb. 15, the Port Aransas Art Center will host their first-ever Jazz Gala. All proceeds from this fund raising event go toward funding scholarships for graduating Port Aransas High School (PAHS) students who want to pursue a career in the arts.
“You walk in, and then all of a sudden, the art center that you might be familiar with, is now a jazz club," John Morris, the Director of the Port Aransas Art Center said.
The art center will be completely transformed into an upscale jazz club-speakeasy type of venue, with live music, a silent auction, local artists making art live, and plenty of high quality food and beverages.
“Jazz music playing, lighting is different, a lot of different things that they’re gonna experience. And one of the big surprises will be our collaboration event between twelve of our top artists," Morris said.
The scholarships that the Jazz Gala will fund are not only for students who want to major in studio art in college.
"The scholarship really is motivated by students who are interested in the world of arts,"Dr. David Swartout, the Principal of Port Aransas High School said. “But it doesn’t just have to be necessarily studio art. It could be the culinary arts. It could be video art. It could be other different medians that obviously are related to the creative arts. And that’s really the support that we’re looking for with this relationship."
Dr. David Swartout said the art center's fundraiser last year, the 'Hearts for the Arts' dance, raised about $6,000 and provided scholarships to six different graduating seniors from PAHS. PAHS has 42 graduating seniors in the class of 2025.
“I do know that there are at least two to four students who are interested in the field of art as a major or as a minor," Dr. Swartout said.
The Directors of the Port Aransas Art Center said that there will be several special surprises for attendees that they need to stay tuned for.
“We’re gonna have valet parking, incredible jazz music, some wine, the surprise art thing, and we forgot to mention the silent auction," Morris said.
The Jazz Gala will take place at the Port Aransas Art Center from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Tickets are $200 per person and there are still tickets available. You can call the art center at 361-749-7334 or stop into the art center in person to purchase a ticket.
“So I think the hope and the goal obviously is that with the more money raised, the more students that will be reached," Dr. Swartout said.
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