Do you love letterpress? How about local books or book arts? Then you should definitely attend this weekend’s SIFT fundraiser that is free and open to the public to participate in their silent auction and scope out some sweet deals. Just how sweet? Well, AIGA New Orleans has donated a year long Skillshare subscription to one lucky auction bidder. Even more excited and certainly worth a great deal more, rumor has it that Adam Newman himself is being auctioned off! Only one day with Mr. Newman and his fantastic brain! They also need volunteers – comment on the Facebook event to sign up!

Their fundraiser is this Saturday, March 12 from 6 to 10 p.m. at 3700 St. Claude Avenue. The fundraiser, themed In Like Lions, will raise money for SIFT’s expanded programming and feature a silent auction with artwork from national and local artists, including Planetary Magnetics Corporation, Natalie McLaurin, Caesar Meadows, Karoline Schleh, Yuka Petz, Eugenia Uhl, Fitzgerald Letterpress, as will as great items from local businesses like Loomed, Nancy Sharon Collins Stationer, Arrow Coffee, A Bicycle Named Desire, Dancing Grounds and more. There will be a raffle drawing for prizes every thirty minutes, as well as specialty cocktails, tasty food from Shake Sugary and book arts crafts for all ages! The event is free and open to the public, no tickets or reservations required. But you can RSVP on Facebook here!

Founded in 2005, SIFT is an entirely volunteer staffed organization of visual artists and craftspeople exploring the intersections of sequence, image, form, and text. SIFT organizes Close Quarters, a free and open-to-the0public quarterly visit to a New Orleans art, craft, or design studio. Past studio tours have included Mystic Blue Signs, Small Fires Press and Nancy Sharon Collins, Stationer. SIFT’s regular Community Happy Hour provides a venue to build community and network for area artists, designers, craftspeople and anyone with an interest in book arts. SIFT also produces curated exhibitions and portfolio exchanges, and publishes collaborative book arts projects such as “Parametric Prompts” and “Hidden Spaces.” All of the money raised at In Like Lions will provide funds to expand the lectures, studio tours, exhibitions and additional programming the organization provides to the New Orleans public. You can find out more on our website: www.siftart.org.