GuitArt to benefit Rhino's

Visual art and audio stimulation will come together at Rhino’s third annual GuitArt Auction at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Local visual artists volunteered to create unique, hand-decorated guitars. After each artist finished the design, Rhino’s put the instrument together and installed the electronics to make it playable.

Artists included Barb Bonchek, Mike Cagle, Dylan DeWitt, Sally Harless, Lindsay Hine, Colin McClain and Matt Traughber.

“Each and every one is something totally different,” Rhino’s director Brad Wilhelm said. “It’s a remarkable donation the artists do for the organization, and we could not be more pleased with them. It’s really cool.”

The silent auction will start each guitar at $200. One guitar will be included in the
raffle for those who cannot attend the event. Artwork and CDs from local artists as well as gift certificates will also be sold.

The event will feature live performances by Wilhelm, Busman’s Holiday and teens from Rhino’s. Local restaurants have donated food and beverages for attendees.

The event raises money for Rhino’s nonprofit Youth Center’s after-school programs in an alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free place. In these after-school programs, teens participate in arts-oriented activities such as screen-printing, video, radio and audio production, a monthly newspaper and creating murals.

“Our goal is to raise $10,000 over the course of the summer for Rhino’s, and this kind of kicks off our summer campaign,” Wilhelm said.

Admission for the event is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Raffle tickets cost $10 as well. The auction will be held at The Lodge, located at 101 E. Sixth St.

Bonchek has been involved with Rhino’s for years, being one of the organization’s founders. This was her first time designing a guitar for the auction. She incorporated her signature black-and-white “Dizzy Art” designs onto her guitar.

“I’ve been very invested in Rhino’s, and doing the guitar was just a way I could really participate in helping the organization financially by raising money,” Boncheck said. “It really is a ripe venue for really being creative in many different ways.”

Wilhelm said overall he hopes to raise money for the organization’s after-school program through this auction, but also that “the guitar auction raises awareness about what we do and why we do it.”