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VINEart gala offers 'good food, good art and good wine'

“If you like wine and travel or if you like art then there’s bound to be something for you at this gala.”
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Acrobats perform at a previous VINEart gala. RMO FILE PHOTO

BANFF – Pairing fine wine with art and an extravagant night out, the YWCA Banff will be hosting its sixth annual VINEart gala in March.

The event brings together the art community and those who have an affinity for wine, travel and “the finer things in life”, said YWCA Banff chief operations officer and Higher Ground project manager Steve Crotty.

“We try to distinguish VINEart by having a focus on those finer things that would appeal to a fairly broad base of people that live in our Bow Valley,” Crotty said. “If you like wine and travel or if you like art then there’s bound to be something for you at this gala.”

The gala was developed as a key fundraiser to support YWCA programs for the existing Emergency Women’s Shelter and the development of Higher Ground, the organizations planned expansion that will offer holistic services for those experience domestic violence or precarious housing.

VineART launched six years ago and the YWCA has worked to collaborate with the community to ensure residents have a fundraiser they want to attend.

“When we can get 200 plus people in the room we have an opportunity to tell a little bit about the story about why the work we do and why Higher Ground is really going to be so important as an innovative change-maker,” Crotty said. “There’s no reason why even a small community like the Bow Valley can't lead in that kind of development and program.”

Last year alone the event was able to raise $125,000 for the YWCA.

People emotionally connect to the need for Higher Ground, he said, and this encourages them to throw their support behind the project.

Looking at the information on domestic violence and intimate partner violence is “overwhelming,” Crotty said and drives home the importance of the programs the YWCA can offer.

“It’s one of those invisible social ills that is more prevalent then people can recognize or see,” Crotty said. “The people that have experienced domestic violence would rarely have a platform to tell their story, and because of that people don’t always see that it’s happening.”

There are Bow Valley residents who are vulnerable to domestic assault and as a first step to breaking the cycle of violence is having a safe place for them to go.

“You have to secure a safe place first before you can plan and take the next step – this is a critical piece,” Crotty said, explaining the pivotal place of the Bow Valley Emergency Women’s shelter in the community. “If we don’t have the other program pieces to move people into a transitional housing situation that they could maybe afford… then were just reinforcing the existing system.”

The YWCA shelter does not receive operational funding, so VINEart plays an essential role in supporting the program.

Crotty added that the organization is under pressure to grow the shelter's capacity because it is not meeting the current needs and demands of the community.

“It’s been a tsunami we're having more demand getting many, many constraints on our existing capacity and we’re not ultimately breaking the cycle in a way that we could be – But, every year we get closer to getting that critical piece... for us that is land," Crotty said.  "Once we have that we think we will have tremendous momentum and we will be able to really move High Ground in a way that is bringing us closer to bricks and mortar as a great rural solution for our response to domestic violence and all the social issues that are compounded from it.”

The evening will feature a live performance piece that has become an “anchor interaction experiences” of VINEart, Crotty said, explaining that the gala will feature a mix of music, artists and speakers.

The YWCA is "thrilled” to be hosting local artist Pascale Ouellet for this year's edition of VINEart, Crotty said. He added that it is amazing to watch her paint live because of her talent, creativity and passion for the cause.

Ouellet said she performed in the inaugural VINEart and is excited to return to the stage.

Creating a painting over four hours is a challenging and fun experience she said, especially because people at times begin bidding on a piece before it is complete. The painting is sold at the end of the evening

"It puts me on the spot, it a challenge its definitely not something I would do every day," Ouellet said with a laugh. "But, it's a fun challenge to do once in a while."

She said she was inspired to participate in VINEart because of the wonderful programs and supports the YWCA provides to the community.

"It's such a need in the community to have a place where women can gather and have a little bit of a respite from their lives," Ouellet said. "I hope people come and I hope people bid because it's such a great cause."

Local singing sisters Julie and Candice Chang will be joining Oulellet on stage during VINEart providing dulcet tones to enhance the experience of the evening.

VINEart is an evening of “good food, good art and good wine” logistic committee member Jade Ansley said, adding that is a powerful evening filled with speakers, including survivors of domestic violence, sharing powerful stories paired with entertainment that reflects what the YWCA represents.

Every year offers something new in terms of entertainment and art Cindy Ansley logistic committee member said, adding that this year there has been an addition to the show with table pieces created by local artists that will be auctioned off.

The gala will feature about 20 3D pieces created from a variety of mediums as the centrepieces. The centrepieces will be up for bids at the end of the evening.

“It’s a whole new way to represent some new artists and a different style,” Cindy said.

The centrepieces were created by a great mix of established and emerging artists, Jade said, adding that they come from the Bow Valley and Western Canada.

“We have art coming from a lot of different places this year,” Jade said. “Our goal this year with the silent auction was to bring a little bit more diversity with the products and the price points.”

Other fundraisers at VINEart include raffle tickets for two premium seats anywhere Air Canada sides, along with the silent and live auction that features around 65 items.

“The Higher Ground edition is a great edition to Canmore,” Jade said. “Hopefully when that comes to fruition that will be a great thing to have here.”

VINEart takes place on Sunday, March 14. at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Cascade Ballroom. The event is black-tie optional. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and is followed by four-course dinner at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are available for $275 and tables of ten are available for $2,500.

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