Artist Heidi Amenda Marshall Featured in Dart for Art Fundraiser
This July, Crooked Tree Arts Center celebrates its 24th annual arts fundraiser Dart for Art with Petoskey pastel artist Heidi Amenda Marshall and a new event location.
Heidi Amenda Marshall grew up on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, and the banks of the Rhine in Dusseldorf, Germany. During her childhood, Marshall discovered her love of art through her father’s work: William Amenda, the Chief Editorial Illustrator for the Detroit News, was a fine arts painter who also did courtroom sketches and editorial portraits. After her early introduction to the arts, Marshall went on to receive her BFA from Albion College with a double major in English and Art, later earning her MFA from Wayne State University in Writing and Comparative Literature. Currently a full-time professional plein air artist, Marshall previously wrote for Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi and was the Creative Director for Young & Rubicam Advertising during her corporate career.
Marshall’s work has been exhibited in the Butler Institute of American Art, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, and the National Arts Club, as well as included in numerous private, hospital, corporate, and university collections in the U.S. and Europe. Her art has also been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, Art of the West, and Pastel Journal. Marshall was the 2018 recipient of the International Association of Pastel Societies Paula Ford Award, and she received inclusion and an Honorable Mention in the Pastel 100 - a prestigious international Pastel Journal competition of 2021’s 100 best pastels.
“While my works are exhibited in museums, galleries, and competitions all over the country, there is nothing as personally gratifying and meaningful as representing one’s very own, cherished community,” said Marshall. “It is with great pride that I say I love our arts center. I see its heart and applaud its role in making the arts an integral part of our beautiful community.”
With a preference for pastels, Marshall’s work favors diverse landscapes with special attention given to Northern Michigan’s varied terrain. For the Dart for Art featured artwork, entitled “The Wild Shore,” an original pastel painting, she captured a vivid scene along the Minnehaha: “This scene reminded me of the temporal nature of beauty and its singularity — there would never be another afternoon just like this. When I paint, I always seek to create a particular beauty. I need to feel the moment, and the moment is always new. In this case — a wildly opulent autumnal scene inspired ‘The Wild Shore.’”
Crooked Tree Arts Center’s premier two-day fundraising event will take place in downtown Bay Harbor at the new waterfront event site, Blue, this summer. The indoor/outdoor venue will allow for maximum social distancing in accordance with current health and safety restrictions.
During Preview Night on Wednesday, July 14, guests mingle with donating artists, partake in a strolling dinner prepared by Executive Chef Daniel Rutkowski, bid on silent auction items, enjoy live music, and get a sneak peek of the Dart artwork.
Thursday, July 15, is the main event, Dart for Art. This evening, guests enjoy a cocktail hour filled with appetizers and libations, followed by a seated gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions, and of course, darting for art! The Dart for Art Gallery will feature more than 150 pieces of original artwork, including paintings, photography, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, glasswork, and more.
Tickets for Preview Night are $75 per person. All levels of reservation levels are available for Dart for Art, starting at $750 per couple and $500 for an individual. All ticket levels for Dart include an original piece of artwork – at no additional cost – selected from over 150 donated works by local, regional, and national artists. Due to health and safety restrictions, only a limited number of tickets are available. Once capacity is met, CTAC will maintain a waitlist in the event of cancellations or loosened restrictions.
