Released: February 8, 2011
Lincoln, Neb. - MEDICI marks its 15th year of raising funds for the University of Nebraska Art and Art History department. This year's annual fundraising event celebrating "Grassroots" will be held Saturday, Feb. 26 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery on the UNL campus south of Memorial Stadium.
Since its inception, MEDICI has raised more than $100,000 for the department to use to bring visiting artists and scholars to campus, to fund catalogs and purchase large-format digital printers, digital cameras, kilns, an etching press, a steel lithography rack and other equipment.
Each year UNL alumni, faculty members and local and regional artists supportive of the department are invited to donate a piece that will be purchased at the event by MEDICI supporters. This year's donors include: Deon Bahr, Wendy Bantam, Anne Burkholder, Roger Carlisle, Jan Christensen, Eddie Dominguez, Marcia Goldenstein, Aaron Holz, Martha Horvay, Keith Jacobshagen, Tim Klunder, Karen Kunc, Anne Martin, Doug Martin, Richard Moses, Christina Narwic, Ernie Ochsner, Susan Puelz, Amy Smith, Francisco Souto and Bart Vargas.
"UNL has the only graduate art programs in the state," said Ed Forde, UNL Art Department Chair. "In order to support a demanding, comprehensive program, we must stay abreast of technology. We have to provide the state-of-the-art equipment that high-caliber students need."
MEDICI board president Patty Pansing Brooks said that board member realize in this time of budget crunches and funding cuts that extra monetary support becomes especially important. "Our goal is to do whatever we can to support the department and all it does. We want to keep encouraging that electric, artistic vibe," she said.
For more details about the event and purchasing general admission, premium and "buy-it-now" options tickets, go to www.unl.edu/MEDICI or call LaVonne Keller at UNL's Department of Art and Art History at 472-5522 or email at lkeller1@unl.edu.