Jason Craighead Donates Painting to America Red Cross Fundraiser

Raleigh, NC, August 16, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Raleigh-based artist Jason Craighead has donated an original 32”x32” mixed media on canvas painting to the American Red Cross, which will be sold at auction during an “Evening of Art and Fine Wines” to be held at The Big Easy in downtown Raleigh on Thursday, August 23, from 7-10 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Triangle Area Chapter of the ARC.

Jason Craighead, an abstract expressionist who recently received his third consecutive MetroBravo! Award from Metro Magazine for best regional artist, has donated numerous paintings to charitable art auctions, including the Triangle AIDS Alliance’s annual Works of Heart auction, a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser, and the Visual Art Exchange. He has also served as a juror and signature artist for Works of Heart, and as a juror for the Greensboro Center for Visual Arts Members’ Show. He has been an active participant in the Raleigh arts community for many years and is currently serving on the City of Raleigh Arts Commission’s 30th Anniversary Committee.

The “Evening of Art and Fine Wines,” hosted by Raleigh artist Matthew Mahler and The Big Easy, will include a silent auction of work by several North Carolina artists, a wine tasting, live jazz by the Carolyn Mitchell Band, and a painting raffle. Among the other artists who have donated work so far are Bob Rankin, Stephen White, Cathy Martin, Diane Amato, DeShelia A. Spann, Susan Farrar Parrish, Nancy Meadows Taylor, Linda Ruth Dickinson, Matt Mahler, Don Mertz, and Constance Pappalardo, and Mahler, who is also an ARC volunteer.

According to Mahler, the evening will raise awareness as well as funds. “The event calls attention to the need for hurricane preparedness in wake of the second anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina,” he said. “The benefit highlights the important role the American Red Cross plays in the recovery from the disastrous forces of a hurricane.”

The Big Easy is located at 222 Fayetteville Street. For more information on the event, call 919-880-1737.

Jason Craighead is represented by Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, Broadhurst Gallery in Pinehurst, New Elements Gallery in Wilmington, and Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, Georgia.

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