Flower Power - Joe Andoe's meeting with young artists inspires fundraiser
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Someone bought Dani Neff's painting before she had the chance to finish it.
And that someone just happened to be a world- renowned artist.
"I was astonished, just in awe," said the 11-year-old Neff, a student at the Tulsa Girls Art School (Tulsa GAS), 2202 E. Admiral Blvd.
It was her "First Red Balloon," a painting with a purple and blue sky and, as you probably guessed, a red balloon.
The buyer was none other than New York artist Joe Andoe, a Tulsa native whose work has been bought by Ralph Lauren and Steven Spielberg. He purchased other young artists' works the day he happened into Tulsa GAS, which provides specialized art training to talented elementary school girls in the inner city.
Andoe will continue his support of these young artists when 100 T-shirts he hand-painted are sold from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Dwelling Spaces, 119 S. Detroit Ave. All proceeds from the T-shirts, $100 each, go directly to Tulsa GAS.
"It's a little bit of a serendipitous story," said Matt Moffett, the school's director, who had met Andoe on a few occasions before this event was even anyone's idea.
When Andoe was here in June for a showing of his works at Aberson Exhibits, he was given a "diploma kind of thing," he said during a recent phone interview from New York. It was a proclamation from the mayor designating June 24 as Joe Andoe Day in Tulsa.
He and his mother took the proclamation to Ziegler's to have it framed, he said. While there, they were told to go visit "the little girls' school" nearby — the very same school he remembered Moffett mentioning in the past.
They came over, Andoe looked around, and he was very impressed.
"It's just charming work — the bright colors and surrealism," said Andoe, who picked out Neff's painting. And the more he looked around, the more he bought — 24 paintings, one from each girl who had something hanging on the wall.
"I shook his hand and stuff," said Neff, who helped him carry the paintings outside.
"It's amazing the connection he made with the girls," Moffett said. After Andoe left, he sat the girls down and told them who he was, "and they got so excited."
Later that day, Mary Beth Babcock, the owner of Dwelling Spaces, asked Andoe if he would consider hand-painting a T-shirt for her store, he said. That's when he offered to paint flowers on 100 T-shirts with all the proceeds going to Tulsa GAS.
"It just came to me," Andoe said. "I didn't think about it for a second."
Not long before, he had heard a story on public radio about the importance of music education to children. When exposed to music, the story's narrator said, children grow up to be more empathetic, more sensitive.
"That's probably the same with art," Andoe said.
In addition to Andoe's donation of 100 T-shirts, Moffett's students have created 100 paintings of flowers. Those are $100 each, just like the T-shirts, which would normally sell for $2,500 by such a well-known artist, Babcock said.
"In this hard economy, to have such an unexpected fundraiser, I think that's great," Moffett said.
Although he won't be able to attend the event, Andoe is sending some nieces and nephews to represent him that evening.
"I'm really proud I get the chance to do this," Andoe said. "It's not about me, it's about them."
T-shirts can be purchased on a first-come, first-served basis 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Babcock said, and none can be held in advance.
"The early bird catches the worm, as Joe said," she added.
For more about the event, call Tulsa GAS, 607-4955; or Dwelling Spaces, 582-1033.
And for more on Andoe's work, visit tulsaworld.com/joeandoe .
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Tulsa GAS Project
Tulsa Girls Art School Project (Tulsa GAS) is affiliated with the Tulsa Community Foundation. Its goal is to provide specialized art training to talented and motivated elementary school-age girls living in the inner city of Tulsa.
Tulsa GAS provides a small class environment so students will have more individual instruction and encouragement. It aims to increase student understanding and appreciation of art and the life of an artist, as well as encouraging children to see themselves as artists and life-long participants in the arts and museums.
A working art studio, Tulsa GAS is a place where students create art and have the opportunity to sell their paintings during an actual evening art opening. Funds from the sales are allocated between the artist and Tulsa GAS.
The young artists may use their portion of the sales proceeds to purchase personal art supplies for home use, pay competition fees or gallery entry fees, or buy college savings bonds for their future studies.
This helps each student learn the process of planning, creating and executing their artwork, and goes a step further by teaching basic business skills.
New students are interviewed and selected on an individual basis. Each girl is interviewed and recommended by their art teacher, homeroom teacher and principal of their elementary school.
Tulsa GAS welcomes any donations or volunteers who would like to help change these girls’ lives.
For more, call 607-4955; or visit tulsaworld.com/tulsagasproject.
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TGAS T-shirts
What: Artist Joe Andoe has hand-painted 100 T-shirts, proceeds going to Tulsa Girls Art School
When: 6-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Dwelling Spaces, 119 S. Detroit Ave.
Event is free; T-shirts are $100 each.
For more, call Dwelling Spaces, 582-1033.
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Jason Ashley Wright World Scene
Tulsa World
