Artists donate time to Amethyst House

At the Amethyst House, even the 12-step program to recovery can be the theme of a dance performance. The audience at the fourth annual Dance Performance and Celebrity Art Auction will see exactly that: "Sanctuary" is an original dance production by the Indiana Dance Theatre that draws on the themes of the recovery program used by Amethyst House addiction technicians.\nAmethyst House, Inc. is a not-for-profit United Way agency that provides high-quality structured living environments, treatment and recovery services to individuals with addictive behaviors, said Jana Hocker, the organization's associate director. \nAccording to its Web site, Amethyst House operates three transitional houses in Bloomington: a men's halfway program serving 19 men, a men's 3/4-way program serving four men, and a women's halfway program serving 11 women and dependent children. Amethyst House also operates outpatient programs in both Bloomington and Evansville.\nAll proceeds from the benefit will go toward rebuilding the Men's House, which was destroyed by fire in February 2002. Although it partially reopened in April 2003, much still needs to be done for the house to fully cater to the needs of those recovering from addictions, Hocker said.\nLast year's proceeds also went toward rebuilding the Men's House. \nThe dance performance was choreographed by Indiana Dance Theatre founder and former Amethyst House board member Diana Buzzell, who came up with the idea of a benefit four years ago.\n"What Diane did is choreograph a theater dance that shows the joy and hope of recovery from addictions," Hocker said.\nThe performance, which features five Amethyst House alum, begins at 8 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.\nBidders at the silent auction will have a choice of pottery, watercolors, oil paintings, photography or jewelry. The auction begins at 7 p.m. with the closing bid taken at 9:30 p.m.\nBill and Mary Jo Benedict, owners of local paint-your-own-pottery studio "The Latest Glaze," donated 25 pieces of pottery for the auction.\nThe Benedicts have been helping out with the auction for the past four years. They donate the unglazed, unpainted pottery, while the Amethyst House invites local celebrities to paint the plates, mugs, pots and tiles. IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, Dean of Students Richard McKaig and professors are among the artists who donated their time for the event.\nMcKaig has participated in the auction for two years.\n"I do it because its fun and I do it because its a good cause," McKaig said. \n"Community involvement, specifically in recovery from addictions and helping other people dealing with addictions, is important in the community rather than just relying on the justice system or the police," said Brian Garvey, a senior graphic designer at the IU Art Museum who painted a pot for the auction. "A friend of mine is on the Amethyst House board and asked me to do this. I know a lot of people involved in the organization as well as some who are in recovery."\nGarvey's pot, a contemporary version of a Greek red-on-black clay pot, depicts three muses of the day: A rock 'n roll guitarist, a deity on roller skates and a man jogging with his dog. Although the pot does not have any specific connection to recovering from addiction, Garvey said he hopes it brings some money to the Amethyst House cause.\nThe staff also recruited local and regional artists to donate their artwork to the auction. In the past years, bids began at $50 and went up to $400, Hocker said. \n"Let's face it -- funding is hard to come by," Garvey said. "Anything we can do to help each other is great."\nFor more information, visit www.bloomington.in.us/~amethyst.\n-- Contact Arts editor Jane Charney at echarney@indiana.edu.