The Story of the Heartfelt Tea Party & Auction

This weekend, our community gathered around locally made heart art while sipping incredible teas and snacking on delicious treats at our first Heartfelt Tea Party and Auction. 

Our sunny afternoon in Covington was a beautiful example of our mission in action.

The 80+ pieces of art in the Community Room at the Hellmann Creative Center were made by a diverse group of creators. They ranged from middle-schoolers to grandparents, professional artists to first time felters, hesitant creators to enthusiastic ones. What a great expression of our work to empower everyone to be an artist by providing community-driven accessible opportunities for creative growth and healing.

Each maker was empowered to embrace the heart theme in their own way, and they generously offered their work to be a part of an auction to fundraise for Art Equals. The result was a show featuring clay anatomical hearts, handmade worry stones, embroidered doilies, cat-centric paper collages, metal jewelry, decorated mirrors, and so much more. 

Friends mingled about the event discussing what they appreciated about different pieces and making their bids via an online auction site while enjoying a heart-themed playlist. Community leaders Melissa McDonald (World Affairs Council) and Sarah Allan (City of Covington) took the microphone to share their support for Art Equals’ future growth.

Cincinnati-based Wendigo Tea generously shared the “best teas in the world” as folks enjoyed the art. Founder of the company Sky White kept the party entertained while sharing stories behind the intricately designed creatures which decorate his tea packaging.

Guests actively explored their own creativity during the event through the Art Equals Art Packets. These materials are designed as a self-contained creative experience which provides supplies and an accessible information sheet to empower expression. In between bites of finger sandwiches and scones, individuals stitched their own wish pouches to take with them!

In the end, the highest bidders were able to take the art off the wall and into their homes. 

We are so grateful for the generous support of everyone who made the Heartfelt Tea and Auction such a success. We look forward to the next time we gather to celebrate and continue doing this work together!