WYSU returns to Mad About the Arts

Guests at this year’s Mad About the Arts fundraiser will be given a wine glass as a souvenir. Proceeds from the event will go to WYSU-FM and the McDonough Museum of Art.
Guests at this year’s Mad About the Arts fundraiser will be given a wine glass as a souvenir. Proceeds from the event will go to WYSU-FM and the McDonough Museum of Art.

After about a decade of separation, WYSU-FM will once again partner with the McDonough Museum of Art to hold the annual Mad About the Arts fundraiser on Feb. 21.

WYSU and the McDonough started the fundraiser together nineteen years ago. In recent years, though, proceeds from the event have benefitted Students Motivated by the Arts (SMARTS) and the McDonough.

Because SMARTS was disbanded in December, WYSU will again benefit from the fundraiser.

Last year’s Mad About the Arts raised $30,000. Proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will be evenly split between the McDonough and WYSU.

Tricia Perry, funding officer for WYSU, will help coordinate the event. She expressed appreciation for community members who have shown support for Mad About the Arts.

“It’s always important with nonprofits to depend on the generosity of people who donate. … It’s just the way it works,” she said. “I’m so amazed by how generous the Valley is.”

Though Perry has attended the fundraiser as a guest in the past, this is her first year as a facilitator.

“It’s been such a great event, and I’m really excited to get this opportunity,” Perry said. “I’ve always had a wonderful time at it. It’s always been a memorable evening. It’s one of the best fundraisers in town, and it’s one of the biggest parties in town.”

Mad About the Arts will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the McDonough. Guests will enjoy music, wine, appetizers and desserts.

Leslie Brothers, director of the McDonough Museum of Art, is responsible for the museum’s fundraising and programming; she said she looks forward to Mad About the Arts.

“I am excited about MAD 2014 as it will feature some of the amazing talent we have in the College of Creative Arts and Communication — the Department of Art Faculty Exhibition, the YSU Jazz Ensemble and Dana faculty member Dr. Alton Merrell and his jazz trio,” Brothers said. “This is a fun and exciting way to support two of YSU’s greatest assets — the McDonough Museum of Art … and WYSU.”

Gary Sexton, director of WYSU, agreed with Brothers and called the fundraiser “a great chance for the community to get together and appreciate the arts.”

“The arts are a critical part of a well-lived life and a critical part of a full education,” Sexton said.