Winefest #24

I am super excited to announce that I am the featured artist for the University of Minnesota's Winefest #24. It's such an honor! The event is themed Elite and will showcase all things high-end and luxurious, including wines with 90-plus ratings and two very large wine-themed paintings done by me! Someone will be going home with each of them!

My fiancé and I have been attending Winefest for the past couple years, so as you can imagine, I've had my sights on being their featured artist. Taking place at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis, the event is two days of exceptional wines, fine cuisine, entertainment, and irresistible silent auction items! The event concludes with an energetic live auction including some of the best items like vacation packages, vineyard tours and... a BIG painting done by yours truly!

THE CAUSE

WineFest No. 24—A Toast to Children’s Health supports the internationally renowned University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics and University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital where physician-researchers develop and deliver innovative treatments and cures for childhood diseases. It's an absolutely beautiful, lively and heartwarming gala that raises money to save young lives and give them a chance at life they may not have otherwise had.

TWO NIGHTS, TWO PAINTINGS

I have donated two very special and very large 36" x 60" canvas paintings to this event in hopes they raise more than any other painting in WineFest history!! One of the paintings is going to be completed live in front of attendees on Friday night. I plan to use the energy of the crowd and words inspired by the moment to help me finish this piece! The other painting is already complete and was revealed during WineFest 24's official kickoff party. It is currently featured on the website, billboards throughout the city and pictured below. It will be auctioned off live on Saturday evening after dinner. I hope you will come and bid on my paintings!

THE FESTIVITIES

(copied from Winefest website)

Friday, May 10, 2019

Wine Symposium and Grand Tasting

Begin the weekend at the Wine Symposium presented by Minnesota Monthly. An Educational panel led by ourWineFest Honorary Winemasters will allow guests to sample premier and specialty wines.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Special Reserve Reception and Fine Wine Dinner

Start this incredible evening with an exclusive tasting featuring your select wines and the opportunity to socialize with WineFest sponsors, business and community leaders, and VIPs. After this private reception, patrons enjoy the Fine Wine Dinner, which begins with a sparkling reception and silent auction. Dinner features a multi-course gourmet menu with premier wine pairings from Honorary Winemasters, a live auction, and dancing. Approximately 700 guests—leaders of the Twin Cities corporate and philanthropic community—attend the evening’s festivities.

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#winefest #wineart #artevent

Custom Vive Collage for MNSnap

I love a good surprise reveal.  And the good folks over at MNSnap (Minnesota Spay and Neuter Assistance Program) certainly knew how to do it right.

Over the past couple months, I’ve been working on a very special Vive Collage for MNSnap's annual fundraiser event called the "Furry Tail Ball"at Aria in Minneapolis.  MNSnap is a non-profit organization that helps provide affordable, quality spay and neuter services to pet owners. What they are doing is a much needed service.

Their mission statement reads:

“Our mission is to end the suffering and death of Minnesota cats and dogs due to overpopulation by providing both high-quality, affordable and accessible spay and neuter services to those in need, and animal welfare education in the communities we serve.”

Working with the veterinarians, pet owners, and board of Directors of the non-profit organization, I created a very special collage painting that could be revealed and auctioned off live at the event. The painting included a detailed collage of actual notes from pet-owners, memorabilia and business documents from several of the organizations' milestones. MnSnaps' happy dog logo was painted in the center of it all. The finished piece was a colorful visual of how far the organization had grown and all the pets and pet owners.

Check out the finished painting and video from the event!

#MNSNAP #Vivecollage #abstractart #commissionedpainting #collage

Budweiser's Made in America Tour- Live Painting on a Guitar.

Sure!  I can paint on guitars! That was my response when I was contacted by Budweiser and asked if I could paint a guitar live in front of a very large audience during their music festival.  

I have painted a guitar before (a custom Taylor Guitar). As I’m concerned, just about any surface can be painted on with acrylics!

This summer,  Budweiser, Beyonce and Jay-Z decided to team up and take their annual Made in America Festival on tour around the US. The idea is to bring culture, arts, music, and Budweiser  together for a fun night in just about every major city. On their stop in Minneapolis, I was asked to paint a guitar in front of a live audience—a very loud, audience as you can see!  It took me about 3.5 hours to finish the guitar from a blank white canvas to the finished project, which is a tribute to the Minneapolis music scene. If you’re from Minneapolis, you’ll likely recognize the iconic stars!

The guitar was sent on with the Budweiser tour, joining fellow guitars from other artists from various cities on the tour.  Its final stop is at the big Made in America Music Festival in Philadelphia, where it will be on permanent display.

The guitar took me about 2.5 hours to complete and I did it while doing my best to stay focused! The music was really loud and the drinks were flowing! And if you’re wondering, no, I didn’t get to meet Beyonce or Jay-Z (bummer).  Maybe next time?!

Big thank you to Budweiser for having me be a part of this fun event! I had a blast.

#budweiser #madeinamerica #valeriecarpender #artist #guitarpainting #liveperformance