Porto Announces Its 2008 “CHAIRity” To Benefit Habitat for Humanity

Furniture World Magazine

To celebrate the role artists play in advancing cultural and social development, and to align that role with the contribution Habitat for Humanity makes to society, Porto, a fine home furnishings store in Raleigh and Chapel Hill (www.portohome.com), has announced its second gala fundraiser for Habitat/Wake County, which will be held in the Raleigh location in North Hills on Saturday, October 18. Porto is now inviting Triangle area artists to “recycle” used wooden chairs -- in stock at Habitat/Wake’s ReStore Center in Raleigh -- into one-of-a-kind works of art. The chairs are free to artists, who will be asked to translate this year’s theme: “Going Green Just Got Elegant,” a Porto slogan that reflects the stores’ commitment to sustainable furniture manufacturing. The chairs-turned-art must be completed by August 30 and delivered to Porto. They will then be exhibited in public spaces around Raleigh for a month leading up to the evening of October 18, when gala attendees will bid on these unusual works of original art (some in a silent auction, others “live” via an auctioneer). Seventy-five percent of the winning bid for each door will be donated to Habitat/Wake County. The remaining 25 percent goes to the artists. How artists use the chairs and translate the theme of the “CHAIRity” is completely up to them. Functional or not, construction or deconstruction – whatever they want to do with their chairs is up to their imaginations. They may even “reinvent” a chair into something else entirely. Porto held its first Habitat/Wake County fundraiser a little over a year ago and raised over $14,000, whichwas used to purchase materials for a Habitat house that is now occupied by its new owner. Members of the Porto team helped build the house as well. Artists who want to participate should contact Kim Weiss at blueplate pr (919-272-8615; kjw27612@yahoo.com) no later than April 1. Anyone interested in participating in this year’s CHAIRity -- as hosts for the chairs-turned-art, as sponsors to provide food or wine for the gala, or in another way – should also contact Kim Weiss as soon as possible. Habitat/Wake County’s ReStore is located at 2420 Raleigh Boulevard. Habitat has set aside at least 30 specific chairs for this purpose.