AJ Arts & Entertainment

Kelly McDonough Abington Journal Correspondent

The annual Artists For Art (Afa) Gallery Holiday Auction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21, and will feature artists from the Abingtons. Ceramic sculptor William Tersteeg, Dalton, has been a member of the Afa since it began and supports it wholeheartedly as the venue for artists in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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The Afa Gallery, shown above, is located at 514 Lackawanna Ave. Scranton.

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Paul Nielson, this year’s featured artists for the Afa Gallery’s Holiday Auction, has donated for the raffle “The Night,” a necklace, shown above. It is 14- carat white gold, sterling silver, onyx and sardoyx that also features seed pearls and diamonds.

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“Generally speaking, since Afa began, I’ve been donating a horn every year to the auction,” he said.

He explained that all Afa members are asked to donate a piece and that the auction gives something back to the artist if he or she wants it—that it allows artists to cover the expenses of their materials. However, Tersteeg chooses to donate his profits to the gallery.

Nan Burti of the Abingtons said, “I like to support the arts and Afa is a good venue for local artists. It’s an important gallery for those emerging artists to be sure.” Burti has donated a sculptural piece with a platter shape.

Hank Fells of Lake Winola has been a painter and sculptor for 35 years.

“I was one of the founding members of Afa,” he said. “We were just a group of artists looking for a place to have exhibits so we wound up with space on Lackawanna Avenue. We’ve been doing the auction for about 15 years.”

Fells donated an acrylic painting that is a cityscape of Scranton.

Board member Carla Williams explained that in addition to the Abington area, and other artists, there is a featured artist who donates a piece of work.

This year’s featured artist is Paul Nielson who was born in Archbald, attended Keystone College and The Tyler School of Art at Temple University. He studied sculpturing and jewelry design. He spent 10 years as a diamond setter on Jewelry Row in Philadelphia. He teaches sculpture at Keystone College and jewelry making at Marywood University.

Nielson’s donation for the raffle is called “The Night.

The necklace is fourteen carat white gold, sterling silver, onyx and sardoyx that also features seed pearls and diamonds.

Williams said the raffle tickets are $3 each or three for $5 and are available from any member, at Afa Gallery or the Holiday Auction or by calling 570.969.1040.

“This is a major fundraiser,” Williams stated. “The only other way we get finances is through a percentage of the work sold. We appreciate the support of everyone. There will be perfect items available for holiday gifts.”

The Afa Holiday Auction will begin at 6 p.m. There will be music provided by friends of Doug Smith. Elegant hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be available along with champagne and an open bar. Cost is $25 per person.

Afa Gallery is located at 514 Lackawanna Avenue in downtown Scranton.