For a show and sale this weekend called “Bedazzled and Bejeweled,” artist and poet Sandy Diamond has donated more than 100 of her illustrated calligraphic prints to benefit the Paradise Theatre School.
The event, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Sunday, will take place at the Port Townsend CoLab, the space above the Silverwater Cafe at 237 Taylor St.
Diamond’s illustrated quotations and calligraphic pictures quote a variety of historical figures, from Einstein to Black Elk to Buddha. She also has created images around Dante’s “hottest places in hell” quotation and Rilke’s tender definition of love.
Diamond’s trademark brush script “dances across the page with news about feminism, age, healing and art — always art,” notes Pattie Miles Van Beuzekom, co-artistic director of the Paradise Theatre School.
The prints’ prices range from $10 to $100, with proceeds going toward the renovation of the Paradise, which is housed in an old chapel at 161 Center Road in Chimacum. The playhouse and school, shut down in 2011, is in the midst of renovation with plans to reopen in 2014. In the meantime, the Paradise is staging plays and other events at venues around Jefferson County.
“Bedazzled and Bejeweled” is one of the many fundraisers contributing to the $50,000 cost of upgrading the Paradise. And on Sunday at 2 p.m., it will have two more facets: Diamond’s short reading of her poetry and an auction of her prints.
“I wanted to somehow match and thank The Paradise,” Diamond said, “for all the words from all the plays that have illuminated and thrilled me since the first production.
“In a way,” she added, “the wild and tender and unexpected quotes mirror what truly original theater reflects for us.”
In addition to Diamond’s art, the Paradise Theatre School will sell pieces of high-end jewelry and scarves donated by Bollywood Trading Co. of Los Angeles. The company was co-owned by the late Philip Hosterman, who served on the Paradise’s board.
Jewelry from India, silver pieces, silk scarves and woven tablecloths are among the items priced from $5 to $50.
The sale should be tantalizing to beaders, Van Beuzekom said.
She added that Saturday’s sale will have the best selection while Sunday will offer the best prices.
To learn more about the Paradise and about this weekend’s sale, visit www.TheParadiseTheatreSchool.org or phone 360-643-3493.
