While the nonprofit Atlanta Dogwood Festival is known for the three-day, outdoor art and entertainment extravaganza it hosts each spring, the organization is also responsible for supporting visual arts programs in many metro Atlanta high schools. In order to augment its efforts to promote youth arts endeavors, the festival has launched new fundraising initiatives through which all net proceeds will directly benefit high school artists, teachers and programming.

For the first time, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival presents the Online Art Auction, which takes place at https://dogwood.org/2020-art-auction/ through April 1. Featuring works from a bevy of the 2020 festival Artist Market participants, the Online Art Auction offers the public the chance to see, bid and win in advance of the festival. Most of the pieces have been offered at starting bids below – sometimes far below – retail, and all net proceeds from the auction directly support the arts in Atlanta-area high schools.

In a second effort to raise funds for its high school arts programs, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival presents its first-ever No-Show Ball, a humorous take on the fundraising gala that asks supporters to “stay home for a good cause.” Rather than requiring attendees to spend money on a new gown or tux, and in lieu of the festival renting an expensive venue, the No-Show Ball simply requests that supporters make an online donation. In this way, 100% of the donations will go directly to the youth arts programs. “Tickets” are available at https://dogwood.org/product/no-show-ball-donate/.

For a fantastic evening in, arts lovers can even participate in the No-Show Ball and Online Art Auction at the same time – right from the comfort of their sofa, while wearing pajamas, ordering in and binge watching their favorite shows.

These new fundraising initiatives are additions to the festival’s existing efforts, which support the onsite arts offerings, including the Main Stage VIP, Backyard Bites & Brews tasting event and Atlanta Dogwood Festival Mimosa 5K.

Since the early 1970s, the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition (AHSAE) has offered young artists the opportunity to compete, exhibit their work and earn prizes like scholarships and art supplies. Last year, the juried ASHAE drew 850 submissions from 70+ schools, and the top 149 works were featured in the show held throughout the festival in the Community Center near the 12^th Street entrance to Piedmont Park. The Art Throwdown is a live art competition that takes place during the festival on the lawn in front of the Community Center and features teams of high school artists battling it out in contests like sketching and creating group multimedia projects.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival underwrites the costs for these onsite events and provides supplies for art educators throughout the year.