Get ready to dress to impress and celebrate the arts at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC).
The Spectacular Fall Arts Gala will be held Friday, October 11 and promises to be a night of art appreciation and neighborhood pride at JPAC, 153-10 Jamaica Avenue, that will benefit both JPAC and the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL).
The evening will honor Borough President Helen Marshall, WASA Architects and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC).
Event organizers wanted to thank Marshall for the “support she has given to both JCAL and JPAC,” said Philippa Karteron, event organizer and avid supporter of Jamaica arts
“This is our first gala and our first shout-out, thank-you to those who made it possible,” Karteron said.
Special guests will feature Percy Ellis Sutton, Keisha Sutton James, Vy Higginson, Hariette Cole, Deborah Gregory and Bernard White.
“This is something we had been planning over the years but never came to fruition,’’ said Tonya Cantlo-Cockfield, JCAL Board Chair.
Cockfield said Councilmember Leroy Comrie pushed for the fundraiser so JCAL and JPAC could get the exposure they need.
With that, Cockfield and her team got to planning, and what is set to emerge will be an “art formal,” black tie event on an evening that will be filled with surprises.
“We’re calling it, ‘Hollywood in Jamaica,’” Karteron said. “But the evening is really about Jamaica.”
VIP tickets are available for $150. The evening will start with a VIP cocktail reception from 6 to 7 p.m. in the “Noire Gallery” where guests can admire various works of art as well as a live painter.
After the VIP reception, those with VIP tickets will be ushered up to the “duplex skybox” where attendees can view the performances to come.
The Edge School of the Arts, ESOTA, the Carl Bartlett, Jr. Sextet, Soprano singer Mari-Yan Pringle, Braata Productions, and members of the Vissi Dance Theater will be performing from 7 to 10 p.m. for attendees to enjoy.
General admission ticket holders as well as the VIP will enjoy the evening of performances, local vendors, food from the Brownstone and of course artistry. There will be high and low tables, several stages, food and art stations and more.
“We want to show artists’ potential, support new and emerging artists as well as those who have a reputation,” Karteron said. “This is a smorgasbord of the arts.”
Sponsors of the event are JetBlue, TD Bank, Resorts World Casino, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Astoria Federal Savings, RCGA+DM, Health First, EmblemHealth and Brownstone.
General admission tickets are $100, and students with identification can purchase $50 tickets. To purchase tickets online, visit web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9812569. To become a sponsor, call 718-658-7400.
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