CATA Wears Its Art On Its Sleeve — Virtually
Community Access to the Arts held its annual gala online, with pre-recorded performances and a livestreamed auction.
The opening virtual performance by the CATA Moving Company, choreographed by Dawn Lane and realized by filmmaker Ben Hillman. All photos courtesy of CATA.
Traditionally, the annual gala for Community Access to the Arts (CATA) has been held at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass. But as we all know, there’s nothing traditional about this year, and so, the gala went virtual. On Saturday, May 9, the non-profit, which makes art accessible to more than 800 people with disabilities in Berkshires and Columbia counties, made the event accessible to even more supporters with a 25-minute pre-recorded performance piece featuring CATA artists dancing, singing, drumming and acting. Prior to the quarantine, the artists had created t-shirts to reflect this year’s theme, “Art on My Sleeve,” and those t-shirts became the backdrop for an introduction by Margaret Keller, CATA’s executive director, and for Colin Mathews, who ran the live auction that followed. The scrolling list of contributors showed that some things don’t change, though: the generosity of the community and support for what CATA does continues whether up close or through a screen.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
