Smack Mellon’s unique Benefit is held on Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday, May 7, 2011. Tickets are $250 and each ticket guarantees one artwork and admits two people. Guests bet on horses (which determines the order in which the artwork is selected), and the race is projected all around the gallery. Throughout the Derby-themed evening, everyone can enjoy delicious mint juleps and tasty home-style southern food.

Tickets can be purchased here: smackmellon.org/index.php?cID=1093

All proceeds will directly support Smack Mellon’s Exhibition, Artist Studio and two Education Programs.

Smack Mellon’s mission is to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work, by providing exhibition opportunities, studio workspace, and access to equipment and technical assistance for the realization of ambitious projects.

The Exhibition Program is at the center of the organization, the program focuses on providing opportunities for artists to create site-specific works that creatively respond to our space, and work that explores innovative uses of both new technologies and traditional materials. The Artist Studio Program, launched in 2000, provides free studio space, access to a workshop for metal, wood and general fabrication, a common area equipped with the latest technology, and a fellowship to six artists for an eleven-month period. In 2007 two new Arts Education Programs were developed for youth, to better prepare underserved young people for the professional world and to expose them to diverse artistic disciplines. The Art Ready after-school program partners high school students with professional artists in NYC for a 4-month mentorship to help them make a more informed decision about pursuing a career in the arts. The Summer Arts Intensive is a free, month long arts workshop for low-income middle-high school students.

Smack Mellon (smackmellon.org)
92 Plymouth Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
(718) 834.8761