The southwest Iowa town of Red Oak is hosting a combination Mardi Gras party and art auction tonight to raise money for charity. Lana White, executive director of the Performing Arts and Education Association of Southwest Iowa, says the fantastic food comes first.
White says there’ll be an authentic Cajun dinner along with music from Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies at the Red Coach Inn in Red Oak. The band comes from southwest Louisiana and will perform Zydeco music during a concert that begins at 8 P.M. White says during intermission, a special auction will be held featuring caricatures of a famous Iowan created by a world-renowned artist.
She says an art gallery in Connecticut has donated a line drawing by Al Hirshfeld of Johnny Carson. The artist is known for his caricatures of famous individuals that are displayed at Sardi’s Restaurant in New York.
White says Hirshfeld tries to emphasize the traits that people tend to remember most when they think about a celebrity or famous individual. She says on the piece that was donated, there are small sketches in the corner of four of Carson’s most popular characters, including The Great Carnac. The work created by Hirshfeld is an artist’s proof, meaning it came from the lithograph before it began its regular run on the printing presses.
The piece up for auction is number five of 15 and is valued around 18-hundred dollars. Proceeds from the auction and dinner benefit the Performing Arts and Education Association, a non-profit organization. For more information visit the Wilson Arts Center website .