The seven deadly sins have never been so delicious.
This year, Gallery 101’s annual mega-fundraiser, 101 Frames, focuses on the theme of gluttony as part of a multiyear exploration of the seven deadly sins organizers hope will raise thousands of dollars for the artist-run centre.
“It’s always a fun event, always really well attended,” says Glenn Crawford, event coordinator for 101 Frames and a member of Gallery 101.
It’s Crawford’s second year organizing the fundraiser, which he says has been held by the gallery for almost two decades.
Each year, the gallery provides artists with frames donated by local businesses. The artists then create pieces based on a theme, and the pieces are auctioned off at the fundraiser.
Crawford says everything is ready for this year’s event except the location.
“Finding space that’s big enough and affordable for a fund-raiser is one of the bigger challenges with running this event,” he says. “The gallery itself is actually looking for a more permanent location because this space is a bit challenging.
“It’s smaller than we would like, and it limits the kinds of exhibitions that the gallery can do. Also, the stairs are not wheelchair accessible.”
Gallery 101’s two full-time employees, Leanne L’Hirondelle and Maxime Huneault, have been on the lookout for a new Centretown locale for several months.
“The space issue sort of goes into the planning for this event because we can’t hold such a large event in the gallery space — it’s too small. That forces us to look elsewhere,” says Crawford. He says the event usually brings in more than 300 guests and features approximately 150 pieces of art.
In the meantime, art creation continues. About 60 local artists and art-lovers have already picked up frames so they can get their gluttony on. Though strict adherence to the theme isn’t mandatory, many pieces already submitted are right on point.
“Based on some of the pieces we’re already receiving and the feedback that we’re getting, people are pretty psyched about [the theme],” Crawford says. “There are really interesting takes that are not necessarily typical or traditional concepts.”
This year’s contributors include artists René Price, Mary Barkhouse, David Cation, Maya Hum, Daniel Martelock, Guillermo Trejo, Chris Simonite and Theo Pelmus.
Bidding will surely be competitive. “We tell people to be respectful of other people because sometimes there are certain pieces that are so coveted that it gets intense,” Crawford says. “It’s great for us, but you don’t want things to get out of hand.”
Last year’s event featured more than 150 paintings, sketches, photos, collages and mixed-media pieces.
“It’s called 101 Frames, and we expect that we’ll probably have at least that many submissions again this year,” Crawford says. “Submissions are, primarily, drawing and painting — based on the ‘frames’ idea — but we certainly receive sculptures. In years past, we’ve had performance art as well. It’s not limited to a physical piece of art.”
The 101 Frames submission deadline is Nov 19, and the invitation to create artwork is open to everyone — not just professional artists.
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