Kala Art Institute’s “Kala-Fornia State of the Arts 2” culminated with the delightful Gala auction on April 28 with Channel 5 newscaster and sculptor, Dana King, as Mistress of Ceremonies. The two-week exhibition, silent auction and live auction included works in a variety of media by over 100 contemporary California artists: Christopher Brown, Enrique Chagoya, Squeak Carnwath, Willard Dixon, Katherine Westerhout, Binh Danh, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Hung Liu, Lewis De Soto, Catherine Wagner, Jennie Ottinger, and John Roloff.

The evening’s energetic live auction included artwork by the Kala Master Artist award recipients, Deborah Oropallo and Rupert Garcia, which was presented by Honorary Co-chairs Sharon and Barclay Simpson that night. The artworks generously donated by the artists or galleries raised thousands of dollars for Kala’s invaluable arts education and international Fellowship and Artists-In-Residence programs.