Into the Blue, an evening of celebrating and supporting the arts in Arkansas, had its biggest crowd yet, with 420 attendees on April 29 at the Center for Humanities and Arts at Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock.
The event was a fundraiser for the Thea Foundation, which over the last 15 years has awarded more than $2 million in arts scholarships, distributed about $1.5 million in art supplies to underfunded schools and supported a growing Arkansas arts community.
A cocktail hour and dinner buffet started the evening. Entertainment came after, with performances by Arkansas natives Allison Stearns, who danced to "Big Brass Band"; Isaiah Bailey, who sang "You'll Never Walk Alone"; Ken-Matt Martin, who performed "Your Feet's Too Big"; Katie Emerson, who sang "One Voice"; and a duet by Emerson and Bailey, "All I Ask" from Phantom of the Opera.
Judy Tenenbaum received the Pillar of the Arts Award, which is given to those who have gone above and beyond to further the arts in the community. She serves on the board of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the Argenta Community Theater. Previously, she was a board member of the Thea Foundation, The Argenta Arts Council and the Arkansas Humanities Council.
About $175,000 was raised for the Thea Foundation, which was founded by Paul and Linda Leopoulos in memory of their daughter, Thea Kay. The money will be used to support the foundation and its programs and enhance and provide arts education across the state, said Stacey Bowers, foundation marketing and communications director.
High Profile on 05/07/2017