The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) Foundation for Education, the county schools’ nonprofit arm which exists to support local educational programs, hosted its second annual Autumn & the Arts fundraiser here on October 6 to raise funds for local students’ education.
The event showcased about 25 high school student-made art from around Imperial County schools, with interested art-supporters sometimes buying pieces in auction or silent auction. The event includes an assortment of hand-picked art, live entertainment, and a dinner, according to a press release.
The desserts – a form of art in themselves – are also made by local culinary students. This year desserts was provided by culinary students of Calexico High School, said County Superintendent of Schools and ICOE Foundation Board President, Todd J. Finnell
The Autumn & the Arts event is one of two major fundraisers the ICOE Foundation for Education holds annually, Finnell said, with the other being their spring golf tournament.
"(This event) is really just to make sure that students across the county at various grade levels have an opportunity – if they're passionate, interested, and their skills are in the arts – that they have a venue to show what they can do and get together with other like-minded students to really celebrate the arts," he said. This year, the ICOE Foundation enjoyed receiving a $30,000 check at the Autumn & the Arts event, donated by Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Renewables, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa but with geothermal facilities as CalEnergy Operations in Calipatria, California, according to a BHE press release.
Finnell said the large donation will go towards the ICOE creating a larger arts-focused academic event, which may end up looking like a hybrid art exhibition but with an academic competition element, “kind of like the (County) Science Fair,” he said.
“We're collecting all that info and we have an internal team of teachers and artists throughout the county that are going to help us figure it out. We’re also talking to students (for input),” he said. While the format for the new exhibit-competition is currently in the planning phase, Finnell said ICOE hopes to hold that arts event in the spring of 2023. “What I've learned a little bit last year and then again this year is these kids that are involved in the arts is a way that they express themselves,” Finnell said.
Finnell said behind each individual art piece is a story of emotion for the artists, using the example of a what looked like a well-made, nice but simple vases made by a Wilson Junior High students coming to life to the educators and art supporters from the emotions-ladened backstories students shared about their experiences making their art. There’s a lot of emotional connection to it,” Finnell said. “It just really reinforces why we need to have these kinds of activities in the arts for kids.” “It's just so important,” he said.
By Roman Flores
Imperial Valley Press
