ArtReach Hosts Guitar Art Auction to Fund Free Visual Art Programs for San Diego Youth
Singer-songwriter and activist Michael Franti is among the thirty-one participating artists that transformed guitars into one-of-a-kind, playable artwork.
ArtReach is hosting a Guitar Art Auction to support visual arts education and mural programs for San Diego County schools. ArtReach is a not-for-profit organization that engages K-12 students in dreaming up and creating wildly original visual art throughout San Diego County, with a focus on providing free programs to Title I schools. A generous donor gifted 31 brand new electric guitars for renowned artists to transform using various media including paint, gold leaf, mosaic, and more. These EVH Wolfgang Standard electric guitars were designed by the late Eddie Van Halen.
Online Auction
The artful guitars are being auctioned off through a silent auction online. Bidding is open through November 8th.
All guitars will be on display at ArtWalk @ Liberty Station on November 7th and 8th.
Interested bidders can register and bid online now.
Do It For Love
Singer-songwriter and activist, Michael Franti, is participating and has created his own one-of-a-kind guitar that is available for auction online.
Franti and his wife, Sara Agah Franti co-founded the non-profit wish making organization, Do It For The Love in 2013. Their mission is to bring people living with life-threatening illnesses, children with severe challenges, and wounded veterans to live concerts. Through the healing power of music, their goal is to inspire joy, hope, and lasting celebratory memories in the face of severe illness or trauma.
Participating San Diego Artists
The artists participating in the Guitar Art Auction consist of both participants and non-participants at ArtWalk San Diego, the supporting partner of ArtReach. Some participating ArtWalk artists include Grant Pecoff, Duke Windsor, Ruth Fromstein, Jeremy Sicile-Kira, Carolyn Johnson, and many more.
Other notable participants include comic book artists Lee Kohse and Ryan Benjamin. Both are frequent exhibiting artists at Comic-Con International: San Diego and well known for their work with Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Lucasfilm.
Kohse’s guitar, “Rock on Child,” features original Star Wars artwork, while Benjamin’s guitar, “Dark Knight,” features original Batman artwork.
All of the guitars were skillfully and professionally re-assembled by James Hood Guitar Repair, partner of Wildcat Guitars, located in Oceanside, CA. Their talented team donated their services to ensure that each guitar is a playable and perfectly finished piece of art.
About ArtReach:
ArtReach was founded in 2007 on the belief that all children, regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status, benefit from the opportunity to practice creative thinking and creative doing. While schools and community centers across San Diego remain closed for in-person classes, ArtReach Teaching Artists are actively engaging with youth in San Diego:
- distributing Artist Kits
- painting murals
- leading students in creative problem solving over Zoom
- providing pre-recorded videos incorporating art, current events, and social-emotional learning.
Fundraising supports free and reduced-cost programs to Title I schools with no existing art instruction and no means to pay.
For more information on ArtReach, please visit artreachsandiego.org. Follow us @ArtReachSD on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates.
