Dan Shission, left, and Margaret Bryant stand near Abide Coffeehouse’s stand at the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
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Mary Chevitski scopes out the raffle prizes at the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Workers behind the Luzerne County Community College stand prepare culinary options for attendees at the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Julanne Hogan, left, talks to Chris O’Donnell about Cocktail Cruiser of NEPA, which was present at the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Rob Drevenak plays the guitar during the Wyoming Valley Art League’s Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — The Wyoming Valley Art League held its 10th annual Fine Taste, Fine Art event on Thursday night at the Circle Centre for the Arts.
Fine Taste, Fine Art is a two-hour event which features food and beverage vendors from Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding area. In addition to the culinary delights, the event gives attendees the chance to see what’s new on the local arts scene.
“This is just basically to bring more people into our building and see what we have,” Margaret Bryant, president of the Wyoming Valley Art League, said of the event. “For $50, $100 a couple — when you’re used to going to $250 fundraisers — this is a great value.”
For the event, a number of local eateries pack into the Circle Centre for the Arts, the home of the Wyoming Valley Art League. A number of businesses, such as the Burnt Norton, The Down Pour, and Cocktail Cruiser of NEPA, were first-time Fine Taste, Fine Art vendors.
According to Bryant, businesses run by younger people bring a more youthful crowd into the Circle Centre, which grants the Wyoming Valley Art League a new audience. Bryant estimated that only 25% of Thursday night’s attendees are members of the organization, a testament to the broader reach of Fine Taste, Fine Art.
Other vendors at Thursday night’s event include Bank & Vine, The Mary Stegmaier Mansion, Abide Coffeehouse, Susquehanna Brewing Company and Sugar Plum.
The featured artist at this year’s Fine Taste, Fine Art was Mark Webber, a well-known painter and teacher in the region. Bryant said that getting Webber to hold an exhibit at Fine Taste, Fine Art began with a productive meeting at his studio.
“He was just fascinating,” Bryant said of Webber. “We were there three hours, listening to him talk… He’s a fabulous artist. We’re grateful to have him.”
On the second floor of the Circle Centre’s gallery, pieces by Art League members were up for sale.
Fine Taste, Fine Arts is the Wyoming Valley Art League’s biggest fundraiser, so the future of the organization was on Bryant’s mind on Thursday night. She said the Art League is looking to redesign the Circle Centre to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. That would be to serve the aging part of the Art League’s membership, some of whom are unable to be as involved as they would like.
“Our membership is mixed, but we do have a lot of older members that would like to be more active and just can’t make it up to the other gallery anymore,” said Bryant.
Bryant added that the redesign plans include additional classroom space in the Circle Centre.
For the volunteers who helped out on Thursday night, the Wyoming Valley Art League is a true embrace of the arts with no monetary reward. As the granddaughter of one of the Art League’s founding members, Bryant knows very well what it takes to keep the organization strong.
“We’re an all-volunteer organization, so you don’t have the salaries, the payroll. Our treasurer spends 30 hours a week here. I’m around constantly. Other members are around,” Bryant said. “It’s a labor of love.”