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Pathfinder Toasts the Arts with Meraki event Thursday at winery

Pathfinder Services Creative Abilities artist Reed Pickard gets a kick out of lending his creativity to painting a 2019 BMW i3 “Art Car” in preparation for the Meraki: Toast to the Arts event on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Two-EE’s Winery, in Roanoke.
Pathfinder Services Creative Abilities artist Reed Pickard gets a kick out of lending his creativity to painting a 2019 BMW i3 “Art Car” in preparation for the Meraki: Toast to the Arts event on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Two-EE’s Winery, in Roanoke. Photo provided.

The community is invited to turn out to support the arts in a very special way, when the Pathfinder Services’ 2019 Meraki: Toast to the Arts event opens its doors on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m.

The event, held for its second year, will be at Two-EE’s Winery, in Roanoke.

The evening features a concert by Indianapolis-area singer/songwriter Jennie DeVoe and her band that gets underway at 7:30 p.m. DeVoe’s music style is described as a unique blend of Americana-soul-roots and jazzy blues.

During the concert, patrons can snack on heavy hors d’oeuvres, sample wines, bid in a silent auction featuring artworks and browse the Pathfinder Creative Ability Art Studio gallery and gift booth, where they can find coffee mugs, paintings, purses, sculptures and more for sale.

In addition, Creative Abilities client artists have been working on painting a 2019 BMW i3 – dubbed the “Art Car” – and will unveil their work during the event. The car, provided by Kelley Automotive, will travel to several different venues afterward, according to Pathfinder Services’ Chief Marketing and Development Officer Tracy Dishman.

“There’s this fabulous concert, you can buy some art and get to see the unveiling of that car,” she says. “And all of the proceeds go back to the artists of Creative Abilities at Pathfinder.”

“Meraki” (pronounced may-rah-kee) is a Greek word meaning “when you do something with creativity or love; putting a piece of yourself into what you do.” Dishman says the name is symbolic of the mission of Pathfinder Services’ four art studios.

“That’s a good description of what’s happening to promote and raise money for our Creative Abilities studios,” she says.
Dishman adds that Meraki will hopefully become the biggest annual fund-raiser yet for Creative Abilities, which provides adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities an outlet for their creative expressions. Between 400 and 500 people are expected to attend this year’s event.

Pathfinder Services’ president, John Niederman, says the organization is looking forward to a great evening that will showcase the artists.

“Last year, we raised around $3,000, so we’re hoping to raise significantly more this year with the greater attendance and a golden opportunity for the community to experience our artists,” he says. “That’s really priceless.”

Tickets are still available to the event. Visit www.PathfinderMeraki.com to register and purchase tickets. All proceeds from the event will support Pathfinder Services art studios, including the Little River Art Studio in Huntington and Creative Abilities studios located in Wabash and Plymouth.