Doors to the past and future

Unique benefit art auction highlight of August First Fridays

GOSHEN, IND - On Friday, August 1, doors of opportunity will be nudged open as an art auction takes place to raise funding for local residents with housing needs. The “Doors of Goshen” art exhibit, July 21 – 31, culminates with a live auction on August 1, 2008. Proceeds will support the work of LaCasa, Inc.

Art collectors, individuals, and business owners can buy a piece of history, while supporting LaCasa and the arts community, when they purchase one of 13 works of art in the form of a salvaged door. When LaCasa did renovations to two historic downtown buildings – Shoots and Hattle (the old Lincoln Hotel) buildings – they had to remove some of the antique wooden doors and replace them with metal fire doors to meet building codes. Rather than scraping the old doors, they found a creative way to reuse them to raise funding. Proceeds from the auction will go to LaCasa, Inc., to help fund housing needs and to the participating artists to offset the cost of supplies for the doors.

“We do lots of home remodeling and repair work on homes,” said Grace Hunsberger, Community Outreach Coordinator. “We want to get people into safe housing and help them get involved in their new neighborhood.”

LaCasa of Goshen was organized by area churches and incorporated in February 1970, to provide housing and other human services for the benefit of Goshen’s low- to moderate-income households. Learn more: lacasagoshen.org.

The “Doors of Goshen” exhibit will be on display at Eyedart Studio Gallery, 213 South Main Street, from June 21 - 25 and on downtown sidewalks outside local businesses from July 26 – 31. All doors will be returned to Eyedart Studio Gallery on Aug. 1, where the auction begins at 7:30 p.m. Artists will be available starting at 5 p.m. to discuss their art with anyone interested.

Sponsors of the “Doors of Goshen” exhibit and auction include Downtown Goshen, Inc., LaCasa Inc., Troyer & Associates, Eyedart Studio Gallery, and Goshen Woodworker’s Guild.

Other First Fridays events for August:

• Grand opening of Better World Books, 118 East Washington Street
• Grand opening of Kelly Jae's Café, 133 South Main Street
• Grand opening of 2nd Floor Interiors, The Old Bag Factory, 1100 Chicago Avenue
• Concert: Megan King, 5:30 p.m., courthouse lawn
• Concert: Harmonious Wail, 7 p.m., courthouse lawn
• Concert: Golden Memories Orchestra, 7 p.m., Washington and Main streets – playing Big Band favorites from the ’30s and ’40s.

A complete list of store specials is available at gofridays.com. First Fridays is a family friendly event sponsored by Downtown Goshen, Inc. Hours are from 5 – 9 p.m..

 

July 15, 2008
Gina Leichty, First Fridays Director
Downtown Goshen, Inc.
574.534.8844
gina@gofridays.com

Web sites:

First Fridays
gofridays.com

Downtown Goshen, Inc.
cityonthego.org