Fifth annual Starving Artists show to benefit Ronan fire department
Julie Moore photo
Silent auction items and art from last year’s event, pictured above, raised more than $1,500 and 700 pounds of food for the local food pantry. Proceeds from this year’s show will benefit the Ronan Volunteer Fire Department.
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RONAN — Anyone who’s ever chased a dream at their wallet’s expense can identify with the term “starving artist.”
However, those who can identify with the term also seem to understand the concept of helping those in need. These are the circumstances surrounding the fifth annual Starving Artists event set to take place in Willard’s Bar May 4 from noon to midnight. The event is a fundraiser complete with a silent auction. Six guest artists and this year’s featured artist, Kathy Jaramillo, will showcase artwork ranging from stained glass pieces to bone carvings and paintings.
All proceeds will benefit the Ronan Volunteer Fire Department. In years past, the event has raised money and food for local food banks, the Ronan Public Library and Safe Harbor. Organizer Julie Moore said last year’s event raised more than $1,500 and 700 pounds of food for the local food bank.
“It’s really fun,” Moore said of the showcase. “By the time you blow the horn, people are clamoring over each other.”
She added that last year’s silent auction had everything from an antique coal stove pulled from the caboose of a passenger train to a motorcycle ride around Flathead Lake on the back of a Harley. This year’s silent auction prizes include a chainsaw, quilt, chiropractic adjustment, “and we’re still collecting stuff,” Moore said. “The community is usually pretty good at responding, so it should be a good time.”
Ronan Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Clary said the funds raised during the event will go toward a much-needed equipment upgrade, including new survival suits for ice rescues.
“With this small community, (events like the Starving Artists showcase) are the only way we survive — by people coming out and supporting us. That’s how little fire departments survive. (Willard’s Bar) has done nice things for different organizations in the past, and I’m just glad they chose to help us this year,” Clary said.
Naomi and Craig Dulmes, two regulars at the event, specialize in photography with their In Decent Exposure Studio. The pair have been an integral part of the showcase since it began five years ago.
Naomi said the idea was born in Willard’s Bar. Craig and Julie would get together once or twice a month in the bar, show each other their artwork and talk about what they had going on. Soon, the idea was born to host a showcase in the bar.
“They were all starving artists and they just wanted to show their work off,” Naomi said, explaining the origins of the showcase’s unique name. “It’s a worthwhile cause. We try to choose something different every year to donate the money to. We never donate huge amounts of money, but it’s something we can do for the community and it gets people out and shows them what the local artists can do.”
Naomi said in years past, the majority of the artwork came from Julie and Craig. This year, the pair is opening up the field and bringing in more local artists into the fold.
