NJC’s Annual Chili Arts Night is April 9th

***NJC Press Release***

Reserve your pottery bowl by this Friday, April 1st

For the third year in a row, the Northeastern Patrons of the Arts Society (NPAS), an organization existing to enrich Northeastern Colorado by promoting visual and performing arts as a cultural priority, will team up with the liberal arts department at Northeastern Junior College to once again present a special Chili Arts Night event. This event has grown in popularity each year and is expected to be bigger than ever in 2011.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 9th at 6 p.m. in the Hays Student Center Ballroom on NJC’s main campus. However, due to the popularity of the event and the fact that it involves food and hand-made pottery, reservations are required by this Friday, April 1st. The event has outgrown its two former venues, so this year it moves to a much larger facility and it is hoped that the crowd still fills the room.

The event includes your choice of chili or chicken noodle soup dinner complete with homemade cinnamon rolls and a beverage. What’s unique about the dinner is that those who pay for and reserve a pottery bowl are given the opportunity to hand-pick the bowl of their choice as they move through the food line. Yes, your chili or soup is served in a take-home pottery bowl that has been handmade by students and staff from the NJC pottery class specifically for this event. The bowls vary in size and design and color. It can be a hard choice to make.

A number of art supporters have been to the event the past two years and, as a result, are beginning to enjoy a nice collection of pottery at home. Your ticket price includes food and entertainment and a washing of your selected bowl by NJC students before you leave the event.

While you’re enjoying your dinner, you’ll be surrounded by both visual and performing art. You’ll see artwork on display from current NJC fine art students and even get to watch a pottery throwing demonstration. As the dinner progresses, you’ll be treated to vocal and instrumental music, a theatrical monologue, a skit from the newly created NJC comedy troupe, a short scene from the upcoming production of The Tempest, and creative writing excerpts. The performers will be among the best and brightest that the NJC performing and visual arts programs have to offer. Funds raised from the event will be used to improve the performing and visual arts department at the college.

In the past, proceeds from this Annual Chili Night purchased a much needed new ladder for the Peter L. Youngers Fine Art Gallery. Last year one of the liberal arts faculty members was able to get some specialized training using funds from the event.. This year, funds have been earmarked to help purchase recording equipment for the new digital audio workstation in the college’s recording program.

Adult tickets to the event are $18 per person and include an all-you-can-eat dinner and a pottery bowl that you select and take home to keep. Tickets for children 4-12 are $8 for chili served in a disposable bowl, and children 3 and under are free. If you simply are interested in purchasing pottery bowls, they can be purchased as well. Because there is a dinner included, you must RSVP your reservation to Shawn Rose at 970-521-6601 or email shawn.rose@njc.edu by April 1st.