Art Appreciation: Martinis and Monet Event Showcases Local Artists

Members of the Cranberry community raised their glasses in support of local artists Wednesday at the .

Held at the as the kickoff to Cranberry Community Days, the event showcased work from the Associated Artists of Butler County.

A silent auction, as well as a live auction, to benefit AABC was held at the gathering, which was attended by about 200 people. The $15 per person ticket price included a martini glass and two drinks.

Ticket holders also are given a $15 discount off any piece of original artwork by the AABC artists displayed during Community Days and at the

“We think it’s a great cause,” said Cranberry resident Bill Caulder, who was sipping a vanilla vodka-infused cocktail Wednesday. “We’re also here for the great martinis.”

The event was the brainchild of Cranberry Township Supervisor Chairman Bruce Mazzoni, who also is treasurer of the nonprofit Cranberry Township Community Chest, which sponsors Community Days.

Mazzoni said he and his wife attended a similar event while visiting friends in New Jersey and decided to bring the concept to Cranberry.

“I’m very happy with it,” Mazzoni said of Wednesday inaugural event. “The response to it has been very positive.”

Mazzoni said one of the evening’s goals was to revive the art scene in Cranberry as well as to unite the community with the Associated Artists of Butler County. Founded in 1934, AABC hosts 10 art exhibits a year at its gallery in downtown Butler. In the future, Mazzoni said several exhibits featuring work from AABC artists also would be held at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center—including one that’s taking place right now.

More than 180 pieces will be on display at the municipal center for the next several weeks. On Wednesday, AABC board member Dick Rittelmann and his wife, Jane Nicholas Rittelmann, chose the show’s winners.  

“It was a hard show to judge,” Rittelmann said. “Everything there should have had a ribbon on it.”

Best in show was awarded to Prospect resident Lisa Sten, who submitted a portrait of her daughter, Abi, at age 17.

“I was so excited,” she said.

Art Exhibit winners are:

• Best in Show: Lisa Sten, Abi, $300 cash prize
• First Place: Bill Perry, Winter Pears, $250 cash prize
• Second Place: Pat Patterson, Extreme Nature: Lemon and Slice, $200 cash prize
• Third Place: Tom Sheehan, Mitchell Hill, $150 cash prize
• Honorable Mention: William Vrscak, Lyme Regis Bowling Club, $50 cash prize
• Honorable Mention: Jason Shorr, To Put the Past Behind You, $50 cash prize.