By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
L.A. Art Show will donate half the proceeds from its opening
night gala, all of which were originally intended for the Fund for
the Performing Arts, to the American Red Cross.
The decision was made in the wake of the terrorist attacks on
the East Coast Tuesday morning.
“You have to reprioritize when there’s an
emergency,” said Tracy Bechtold, a spokesman for the show,
which will be held in UCLA’s John Wooden Center until Sept.
16.
In this instance, the decision meant that the Fund for the
Performing Arts, which supports the Music Center’s outreach
programs, will receive only half the money it was expected to take
in.
According to Bechtold, those involved in the fund recognized the
greater importance of helping the victims of terrorism.
“I think everybody is doing what they can … They felt it
was very important to take a stand and try to move forward and not
be paralyzed by terrorists,” Bechtold said.
Proceeds for the two charities will come only from
Thursday’s opening night gala, where entrants paid $500. The
$15 admission to the rest of the show will cover overhead.
About 1,000 people were expected to attend the opening night,
making the total expected proceeds $500,000.
This recent partnership between the Red Cross and the L.A. Art
Show is an unusual one.
“Often you find that a charity will use an event that they
create. This time they chose an existing event,” Bechtold
said.
L.A. Art Show will run from Sept. 14-16 in the John Wooden
Center. Friday’s hours are noon to 7 p.m., Saturday’s
are noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday’s are noon to 5 p.m. General
admission is $15.