Benefit Volunteers: We love you

Party-goers rock the bidding at SPACES' benefit this year. Image courtesy of Metromix Cleveland; Photographer Brandon Davis, More images of the benefit from Metromix here.

More images of the benefit can be viewed at Spanglemagazine.com.

Annually, SPACES hosts a benefit and art auction. It's a killer party ... in so many ways: We have a wicked good time, but it is also a ton of work.

This year, to cap off our experimental school-as-exhibition, The Plum Academy: An Institute for Situated Practices, we celebrated our benefit with Erie Prom: Enchantment Under the Lake. Last Saturday, guests made their way into the gallery-transformed-high-school-gymnasium/aquarium for a raucous, colorful good time in support of SPACES. Nearly 500 party-goers came donned in everything from original prom dresses to punny get-ups inspired by famous Cleveland monikers such as "Miss Steak on the Lake". Regional and national artists generously donated paintings, sculpture, jewelery, drawings, you name it ... all in support of SPACES. The proceeds raised from the benefit go to much needed general operating costs. We are so grateful our guests came, had a good time, and bought art. We are support junkies and would be nowhere without the generous giving circle formed by our donating artists and buying art patrons during our fundraiser.

But one of the key elements of that giving circle are the volunteers who often get very little credit. Behind the scenes, before the guests arrive and during the fast-paced event, there are heroes who also made our largest fundraiser a success. This enormous undertaking requires hours, days, months of preparation and planning (we begin in June, six months before the event) and along the way we had some of the most amazing people at our side pleading for art, gift certificates, and food for the buffet, painting mermaids and seaweed in unexpected places, arranging centerpieces, taking photos for hours on end, and brainstorming, among so many other volunteer duties that require blood, sweat, tears, and loyalty.

Special thanks to Jessica Adler, Judi Balcerzak (volunteer round-up extraordinaire), Ivi Barceloni, Laura Barry, Blaise Carrier-Chouinard, Cynthia Daniels Chiplis, Jeff Chiplis (who always pulls through for us), CSU paper crew, Jacqueline DelBrocco & Josh, Joan Deveney and her daughter Jessica, Maureen (Moe) Dixon (Moe's here, never fear), Michael Dockrill, Deborah Durbin, Bryan Edwards, Ris