By JAMES ZIEGLER Bismarck Tribune
Walking past Impact Gallery
and Gifts on Broadway Avenue, passers-by can see three sculptures in
the window. It's not the only art in the gallery's windows, but these
three pieces have helped many at-risk teens in Charles Hall Youth
Services' care.
The sculptures, called the Phases of the Moon,
each represent a different phase: new, waxing crescent and full. The
sculptures are the collective efforts of kids from the three Charles
Hall group homes.
"They learned to work with each other as a team," Impact Gallery and Gifts co-owner Lynne Prouty said.
The time has come to sell the Phases of the Moon sculptures at the second annual Impact Art Auction.
Over
the last seven months, 46 teens went through the creative arts program
offered to Charles Hall residents by Impact Art. They learned about art
forums like feng shui, airbrushing, calligraphy, clay sculpture,
painting and drawing.
"It's a huge self-esteem builder," said Fannie Thiel, a youth worker with Hall Home.
It's
not your typical classroom environment. Prouty and fellow co-owner
Wayne Pruse prefer a mentoring environment where teens are allowed to
learn by doing.
"We have music going, and it's a real lively atmosphere when they're here," Prouty said. "They loved airbrushing."
The teens airbrushed T-shirts with their original designs; some will be up for bidding at the auction.
The
May 30, auction will feature the three Phases of the Moon sculptures,
but it also will include donations from the teens' work as well as art
from Pruse, Prouty and other members of the Impact staff and community.
Two
of the types of art donated by the Charles Hall kids are calligraphy
quotes and faces sculpted from casts of the teens' faces. Prouty calls
them Faces of the Future.
The masks were cast from imprints of
the teens' faces, then the teens were allowed to add to their masks and
further shape them using clay.
"That's an example of how they
got to express their feelings and ideas and use art as a way to express
themselves," Prouty said. "They could turn themselves into whatever
they want to using their faces."
The auction starts at 6:30 p.m. with a open social hour before the bidding begins at 7:30p.m.
Free food and refreshments will be served, and auction-goers will have a chance to see the items up for bid.
"The
price range is going to be pretty wide," Pruse said. "The three
sculptures are the featured pieces, (but) there's so many smaller items
that they can bid on too that'll be like $5, $10, $20 items."
There
is no door charge to get into the auction. It will be held at Impact
Gallery and Gifts, on the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway Avenue.
Twenty-five percent of all the sales from the store during the auction
will be donated to Charles Hall, and all of the auction proceeds will
go toward funding the creative arts program.
Last year, the auction brought brought in roughly $4,500. This year's goal is $7,000.
Pieces that will be sold at the auction are on display at Impact.
(James Ziegler is a Bismarck State College student. He can be reached at 701-302-0822.)