The Ranger Online

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Premiere

Media Credit: Natalie Olivares "Cold Heart," wood and metal, by Jesse Medellin

Media Credit: Natalie Olivares Untitled lithogram by Vincent Valdez

Media Credit: Natalie Olivares "Cold Water Aquarium," mixed oil on collage, by Camille Treviño

Media Credit: Natalie Olivares "Wear Me" by education sophomore Leora Uribe

Media Credit: Natalie Olivares "Here's the Beef," mixed media, by Alice Fermin

Let the bidding begin!

SAY Si (San Antonio Youth Yes), a nonprofit arts organization, will have its 11th annual silent auction, "Small Scale Work for a Larger Cause," from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. today at 1518 S. Alamo.

Local, regional and national artists have donated more than 200 small scale artworks to the auction including paintings, sculptures, mixed media, photography and digital art.

All proceeds will go to SAY Si.

According to Jon Hinojosa, artistic executive director, the auctions have yielded as much as $60,000 in proceeds in past events. "It's our biggest fundraiser of the year," Hinojosa said. "What's nice about the event is that we see so much support from artists whose contributions are building upon our future."

No loud voices or bidding cards will be necessary tonight.

Each art piece will have a bid sheet located next to it. Minimum bids will be assigned to each piece and bidders will write in their competing bids in increments of $5 until the highest bidder wins.

The event will be catered by Mad Hatter's Tea House and Café, Biga on the Banks, Rio Cantina and more.

"It's definitely a fun event," Hinojosa said.

SAY Si was founded in 1994 with a vision to reach lower-income students by exposing them to art.

The program has grown from just 20 students meeting three times a week at a small art space at the Blue Star, to serving more than 175 youth in more than 70 schools this past year in their brand-new, state of the art facility, SAY Si Central.

SAY Si also has reached more than 2,000 students through its community outreach program, ABC (Artists Building Communities).

SAY Si is a tuition-free, multidisciplinary arts program that runs year round and offers middle and high school students the opportunity to learn about art fundamentals and apply their creative knowledge through drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, film, photography, graphic arts and theater.

Students who are interested in joining will undergo a portfolio review and brief interview, director of visual arts Victoria Montalvo said.

SAY Si consists of four major projects.

Project WAM (Working Artists and Mentors) allows middle school students to attend art classes on Saturdays, which are taught by staff instructors and senior student mentors.

Middle school students learn both visual and media arts, Montalvo said. If the students choose to participate in the program throughout high school, they will have to choose one or the other.

SAY Si MAS (Media Arts Studio) is an advanced class that teaches students about Web site development, animation, film making and graphic design. Students explore all aspects of film, including screenplay writing, directing, budgeting, scouting film locations, casting, editing, lighting production, publication and marketing.

In 2006, student documentaries premiered at five film festivals across the nation. In 2007, SAY Si MAS was chosen to participate in the Listen Up! Beyond Green International Film Project. Students' short films and documentaries can be viewed online at www.saysi.org.

Teatro Alas is a theater program designed for both middle and high school students where students are given the opportunity to act, direct and playwright and also learn about technical stage management.

Project ABC is empowered by alumni students who bring projects into the community. Currently the project serves the Battered Women's Shelter, Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, the San Antonio Housing Authority and schools within the San Antonio Independent School District.

"The program has a positive influence in schools, it is aimed at keeping attitudes positive," Michael Farley, alumni project leader, said.

Leora Uribe, education sophomore and KSYM program director, joined SAY Si as a high school junior and has now been with the program for eight years as an instructor. "The program teaches art as form, not as craft," Uribe explained

The students have the opportunity to sell their artwork every First Friday at the gallery and during other seasonal events.

Middle school students receive 80 percent of the profit while the remaining 20 percent goes to SAY Si for supplies. High school students receive 50 percent of the profit with 20 percent going to SAY Si and 30 percent into a college fund the students receive when they graduate from the program.

"When the students see their art displayed, the feeling of being a real artist inspires them," Uribe said.

SAY Si also brings in representatives from different colleges and universities to speak to the students about admission, financial aid and portfolio reviews.

The program is heavily oriented on promoting self-creativity and entrepreneurship to young minds.

"My advice to young aspiring artists: do not be afraid to promote yourself, get your name out there; if you have an artistic mind and want to express yourself, people will want to see it," Uribe said.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools