In celebration of its 25th anniversary, State of the Art Gallery (SOAG) partnered with Ithaca’s Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG)  in a fundraising raffle to benefit Ithaca City School District (ICSD) students in the arts. On November 7, twenty two winners took home art donated by SOAG artists.  The 369 raffle ticket buyers helped raise over $3,500 for arts education and the SOAG.

Ileen Kaplan, SOAG Raffle Coordinator, noted, “We are honored to have partnered with the Fine Arts Booster Group during our 25th Anniversary fundraising raffle.   The hard work and dedication of FABG members and State of the Art Gallery members made the raffle a great success, and we look forward to working together again in support of the arts in the schools and in our community.”

The gallery has a history of educational efforts in the arts, and this year, in particular, wanted to reach out to the community. In celebrating 25 successful years as a cooperative gallery in Ithaca, SOAG members took the opportunity to support fine arts education in the schools, as well raise money for gallery repair.

An affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), the FABG works in partnership with the ICSD to advocate, support and celebrate all the arts for all the kids. The Fine Arts Boosters strive for increased student access and participation, and for equity in the arts programs. The boosters believe the arts – music, dance and visual, literary and theater arts – are a central part of every child’s public school education.

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