North Carolina artists, along with Project Art Aid, are joining The American Cancer Society in “Making strides against breast cancer.” The culmination of this work is the Project Art Aid Goes Pink Premiere Exhibition and Auction on Friday, June 17 in the Wachovia Atrium at 301 S. Tryon St. in uptown Charlotte.

Project Art Aid, the organizing force behind this event, is an all-volunteer organization operating entirely through the contributions of participating artists and volunteers. This group, founded and led by artist Rosalia Torres, works in partnership with local and global charities in fundraising for significant causes. It also works with local arts organizations in joint artistic endeavors. Beginning in April 2010, Project Art Aid partnered with the Red Cross of the Carolinas and raised $3,000 for the Haiti and Chile Relief Funds.

Working with the American Cancer Society, Project Art Aid is sponsoring an exhibition of original artwork from local artists to be auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” campaign. The exhibition will feature a collaborative mosaic from a variety of contributing artists who generously created this collection of more than 200 individual paintings. The exhibition and auction taking place on Friday June 17 at the Wachovia Atrium from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. will have catered food and beverages. (The $15 tickets are to offset these costs.)

More than 125 artists from the Charlotte area donated their paintings to the exhibition. All artworks measure 12 inches by 12 inches and are painted “predominantly pink” in support of the breast cancer cause. All works are signed by the artists on the back but will be exhibited anonymously. Only at the time of purchase will the artist’s name be revealed to the buyer.

Bidding for all works starts at $50. Further information about the exhibition and a complete list of participating artists is available at www.projectartaid.org. Remember, the art purchased is a tax-deductible donation made directly to the American Cancer Society.

All of the art in the June 17 exhibition was photographed by David Gaertner of Gaertner Photography, who generously dedicated his services to Project Art Aid. Check out the YouTube video highlighting all of the pieces and details on the show.

In addition to the June 17 event, Project Art Aid also coordinated the “One Heart Mosaic.” This is a 100-canvas mosaic of original 6-inch by 6-inch paintings from 94 local artists and six cancer survivors. While each individual image is of various subjects, the completed mosaic creates a dark pink heart on a lighter pink background. The mosaic is sponsored by Presbyterian Hospital, which will give this art installation a permanent home on its campus.

You must be present to bid on an original painting, but if you are unable to attend the June 17 event, you can donate directly to this campaign on the Project Art Aid website.