Friday, March 11, 2011
Visual Arts Annual art auction supports GLBT youth
Posted by Chi Sherman on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 11:26 AM
On Saturday night, Indiana Youth Group (IYG) will hold their annual fundraiser, an art auction, at the Wheeler Arts Community Center (1035 Saunders Street). IYG, located at 2943 E. 46th Street (on the corner of 46th and Binford), is a safe haven for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth to meet their peers, get support, and have fun. Most of the youth are ages 16-19, but some attendees are as young as 12. IYG provides support services to its clientele until individuals turn 21, at which point they are referred to the organization’s Gay Adult Program to make the transition into the ‘real world’ a little less harrowing.
New to the auction, now in its 11th year, will be artwork for sale by some of IYG’s youth. Programming at IYG includes drawing classes led by Bobbie K. Owens that help the youth develop a positive self-image. Owens will present an art installation on Saturday night whose theme is anti-bullying. (Though unrelated to the auction, the Jewish Community Center will present an anti-bullying symposium on March 18 and 19.)
Saturday’s event is primarily a silent auction, though some live auction items are available. Up for grabs are gift baskets, pottery, tables with mosaic designs, and a Ru Paul doll signed by the artist himself. Take a look at the auction catalog here.
The art auction is IYG’s one major fundraiser of the year. The organization has been in business since 1992 and has, on average, 75 youth hanging out on a Friday night. Plans are being made to move to a facility on a bus line so that more youth will have access to the great work that IYG does. Programming includes book clubs, support groups, a youth council, and a writing group. Interested youth are invited to visit on Wednesdays and Thursdays when there are generally 10-20 youth present. Contact IYG at 317-541-8726 to make arrangements. Visit IYG online at http://www.indianayouthgroup.org.
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