Friday, November 9, 2007

Magnificent Art / Delicious Food / Great Cause

Posted by Bruce Miller

Larry Gard, pictured to the left, is artistic director of the Carpenter Science Theatre Company at the Science Museum of Virginia. He has come up with a fun and clever way to support RAPT’s efforts to establish November as the month when all of Richmond’s professional theatres raise money for the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. And he’s teamed up with one of my favorite restaurants to pull it off.

Larry’s gallery show, Photography by Lawrence Gard, is now gracing the walls of Avenue 805, pictured to the right. Avenue 805 is a wonderful little bistro located at 805 N Davis Ave., practically across the street from the Science Museum. Larry's exhibition opened Nov 4, and the photos will stay on the walls until Dec 2. Profits from the sale of photographs during this show will be donated to the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund.

Several of the photographs, including the nature scene to the left entitled Upper Falls at Crabtree and the flower portrait below entitled Lilly, are strikingly beautiful. (All of the photos are copyrighted, and used here with permission.) If you haven’t seen them it’s well worth a visit to Avenue 805 in the next three weeks. Not only will you have a chance to view Larry’s inspired art, you'll also be able to taste the art of Chef Jeff Baird, who along with his wife Sarah, owns and operates Avenue 805 - a cozy, inviting and taste-tempting eatery.

The Richmond Theatre Artists Fund was established by RAPT to help address the critical needs of members of Richmond's theatre community if and when their lives are disrupted by life-threatening accidents or illness. The Richmond Theatre Artists Fund is administered by The Community Foundation, and all contributions to the fund are tax deductible.

You can learn more about Larry and his beautiful photographs at http://www.outdooreyes.com/list/thegallerys.php3?photoid=1232&first=first.

And be sure to check out the recent Richmond Magazine article about Avenue 805 (pictured above) - http://richmondmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=6426C9D57E2C43F38A15B489EE335A37&type=gen&mod=Core+Pages&gid=4DB06B567F5D4C44B34C6FDBAA566868.
Both Larry and Avenue 805 are true art supporters. I encourage all of us in the theatre community to support them right back.

--Bruce Miller

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's very generous of Larry Gard. What's Barksdale going to do to raise funds in November?

Bruce Miller said...

Following all November performances of "Swingtime Canteen" at Hanover Tavern and "Moonlight and Magnolias" at Barksdale Willow Lawn, a member of the cast will speak to the audience after curtain call announcing that all of the casts of Richmond's professional theatres are raising funds during November to support the Richmond Theatre Artists Fund. The cast member will explain what the Fund does, and give audience members a chance to make contributions to cast members as they leave the theatre. We'll also sell posters signed by the cast for $15. Basically, our fundraising activities will be modeled after the campaigns conducted by Broadway casts during their fundraising months for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.

And then in December, Barksdale will once again host the Holiday Cabaret, with all proceeds going to the Fund. Our goal is to increase the principal in the Fund to $30,000 by the start of the New Year. Please come to the Holiday Cabaret! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Three cheers for Larry Gard. What a great way to kick off the holiday season. The funds Larry is raising and contributing may one day save the life of a member of our theatre family. Those of us old enough to remember the several emergency fund drives of the past can really appreciate Larry's generosity. Thanks.

Bruce Miller said...

Since writing my previous comment, it's come to my attention that the other RAPT theatres have decided NOT to raise funds for the Theatre Artist Fund during the month of November. I had not realized that they had changed their minds. So, we will not be launching this campaign solo in November, but we will continue with our Holiday Cabaret in December. Thanks.