TRASK: Winners Announced & Many Thanks

The eight month long partnership between Saratoga Springboard and Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation culminated on June 28, 2012 at the Canfield Casino during TRASK: Saratoga Springs Through Art, an art show and fundraiser to benefit the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s efforts to restore the Spirit of Life & Spencer Trask Memorial in Congress Park.  The response from local artists, businesses and the community at large reflected overwhelming support for the restoration campaign.
Due to the generosity of so many, the partnership between the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation and Saratoga Springboard raised over $30,000 for the restoration efforts.  The TRASK event was fortunate to be the beneficiary of some very generous community support, including a $10,000 donation from Linda and Michael Toohey – the largest individual contribution to the restoration efforts to date.
TRASK brought over 350 people to the Canfield Casino in support of a most worthy cause.  The support from local artists was overwhelming, with over 175 pieces of art submitted for consideration.  Following review by a selection committee, a total of 108 works were accepted and presented for sale in a silent auction. More than half of the works were sold during the event.  Beverley Mastrianni and David Miller, well-known artists and judges for the event, had the difficult task of choosing the winning artwork:

• Best in Show – Doretta Miller, Past, Present and Future: The Spirit of Life, Congress Park, oil on canvas ($500 Cash Prize)
• 2^nd Place – Robert Bootier, Saratoga Race Course, oil on canvas (prize sponsored by Kettlewell & Edwards Fine Art & Framing)
• 3^rd Place – William Jaeger, “Whorl, Congress Park”, photograph (prize sponsored by Crafters Gallery)
• 4^th Place – Ann Diggory, On the Aisle (prize sponsored by Silverwood Galleries)

Receiving Honorable Mentions were:

• Pat Goodale, Fall on Yaddo Pond, oil on canvas
• Pat McEvoy, Rough Winter, oil on canvas
• Zachary Lynch, Spit & Spat, photograph
• Carol Loeb, Sky Pony, altered photograph

In an effort to keep costs at a minimum, members of Saratoga Springboard reached out to the community for donations.  For the second year in a row, Look TV partnered with Saratoga Springboard as their primary media sponsor.  Long-time Springboard supporters D.A. Collins Companies, and Janney Montgomery Scott once again stepped forward to show their support as corporate sponsors to Saratoga Springboard and this year’s project.  Serena Savage Textile and Web Design, Heavenscent Floral Art, Mixaritas Mobile Bartending Service, and Miller Printing (located in Amsterdam) also graciously donated event-specific services in support of TRASK.  Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres generously donated by several local restaurants; The Living Room, Gaffney’s, Elizabeth’s Table, Beekman Street Bistro and Longfellows among them.  DeJonghe Original Jewelry, displayed and sold original jewelry from their Saratoga Collection with half of the proceeds  benefitting the restoration efforts. Live entertainment was provided by The Tequila Mockingbirds, Fresh and local artist, Frankie Flores, who completed three paintings representing The Spirit of Life during the course of the evening. The members of Saratoga Springboard and staff of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation have been truly humbled by the support offered to them by these gracious organizations.
In 1913, Katrina Trask, philanthropist, Yaddo founder, and Saratoga resident, along with George Foster Peabody, commissioned the Memorial to honor her husband and his efforts to protect and preserve Saratoga’s natural springs while further beautifying Congress Park.  The work for the memorial was completed through the artistic collaboration of two significant Americans, sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect, Henry Bacon, (who would later go on to design and execute the entirety of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC).  French created the bronze sculpture (Spirit of Life), while Bacon designed the architectural and landscaped surrounds.