TIFTON — The halls of the Syd Blackmarr Arts Center were alive with the sounds of celebration and arts appreciation courtesy of the Tifton Council for the Arts’ annual Arts Gala.
Throughout the evening of April 27, residents of Tifton participated in a night of fine dining, music and the company of their community as they celebrated the importance of the arts and the cultural contributions The Syd had made to the city.
While the opportunity to hold the party outdoors was unavailable for a large portion of the evening due to the afternoon’s stormy skies, festivities inside the center continued in full.
Council for the Arts member Cindy Hammond welcomed various guests, thanking them for coming out and celebrating the arts and The Syd, and ensured that the volunteers, board members and other contributors to the Syd’s success were properly recognized for their hard work.
“All of this success is because of you all, because of our supporters – because you give, you attend our exhibits and our classes, and you share our events on your social media,” Hammond said. “And it is because of you that we’re able to expand our impact and I thank you so much for believing in the transformative power of art.”
Hammond reported that the arts center had seen a dramatic increase in attendance rates, social media presence and fundraising revenue, among other things, with each passing year since the COVID-19 pandemic, and again offered her gratitude to all who helped make that happen by encouraging them to enjoy the gala.
Hammond gave a special shoutout to Syd Blackmarr herself, who was unable to attend the event in person, but was happily taking part in the evening virtually.
Accompanying the evening celebration was a pair of auctions and a reverse raffle, distributing items and services of all kinds to the members of the community.
People had been given the opportunity to virtually bid on items in the silent auction starting the previous Friday, April 21, with many of those items being on display around the center’s main hall, ranging from gift cards to various local businesses, paintings and prints, and services such as tennis lessons.
Around the midpoint of the evening, attendees were invited to take part in a live auction for a few special quality items, including a print from David Lanier Giclee, a seven-night trip to Tuscany for four and a VIP wine and dine package at the Still Pond Winery.
A reverse raffle was also part of the night’s events, with tickets being regularly drawn and removed from a pool and the last stub remaining being declared the winner.
The results were spiced up with the addition of 10 blank tickets to the pool to be auctioned off once the pool had dropped below 50 but ultimately it was Chelsea Webster who took home the win, earning her a choice between a five-night stay for four in Turks & Caicos and $5,000 or a $10,000 cash prize.
To fully commemorate the night’s festivities, Joy Yost, executive director, gave a special announcement shortly before the auctions began – one pertaining to the beloved Love Affair festival of years past.
Yost explained that she had received requests to reinstate the art event since she had assumed her current position, and while the event itself would not be making a return, she and Tifton City Councilman M. Jay Hall announced its successor, the Arts Affair.
The new festival would be a two-day celebration of the arts coming to Tifton this fall, she said, starting with a concert behind the arts center the evening of Nov. 3 and continuing to a full day of festivities the following Saturday.
Yost said she hopes the new event will capture the essence and enjoyment of its predecessor and bring it to a new generation of art lovers, potentially becoming a cherished Tifton tradition itself in the process.