OK – you will not find cats in pajamas Friday evening during Art After Hours in downtown Wake Forest. What you will find is “Sweets and Treats and Cats, Oh My,” a special fundraiser for SAFE Haven for Cats at Wake Forest Art & Frame Shop.
From 5 to 9 p.m. you will see art featuring cats, lots of cats, in different poses, along with a bake sale and special raffle with all funds raised going to SAFE Haven, Raleigh’s no-kill shelter and clinic that serves Wake, Durham, Orange and Franklin counties.
The art work will be by local artists Bonnie Becker, Jamie Miller, Beth Massey and Kaleigh Hodgson with Angelia Hayes’ pottery and woodwork by Sami Chanmala. George Tatum, a local pianist will entertain. There will be punch and refreshments. Children are welcome to engage in arts and crafts or get adorned by a face painter.
Also Friday night, you can visit Mary Benejam in her new art space adjacent to Mimosa and The Lemon Tree Café. She has lots of new original oil paintings, and this month she is featuring art by Sally Terrell, a felt artist from Chapel Hill. There will be refreshments and live music about 7:30 p.m.
Jane Steelman and Adriana Chanmala will be the featured artists at The Cotton Company. Steelman produces alcohol ink art and show her mixed-media angels on canvas. Chanmala uses watercolors and for this exhibit used vibrant colors and masking to create a stained-glass effect. There will be refreshments during this reception.
At Next Consignment Boutique, owner Pam Jay will feature the hammered dulcimer sounds of Joan Burroughs. ”Music was once something that you participated in with all your kinfolk and neighbors, not just listened to. It was a part of one’s soul and the very breath of your being. Come visit, bring the kids and sit a spell while we share music and stories and relive the past. Let your spirit be strengthened with hymns of old and your imagination soar with music of days gone by.”
The Sunflower Studio & Gallery will feature the artwork by owner Linda Burrell’s students. There will be refreshments, and visitors can see the work of the seven resident artists.
The Lemon Tree Café will have a special spring menu for its Dine ‘til Nine monthly event. Who could resist a starter of champagne with strawberry soup accompanied by goat cheese toast? You are encouraged to make reservations early because seating is limited.
There will be free horse and carriage rides provided by Downtown Wake Forest, and many of the other shops and all restaurants are open for the monthly event.
