AN ARTrageous PARTY -Leave it to Craft Alliance to dream up an off-the-wall party that’s both a fundraiser and an event to honor Emerson and the company’s support of Craft Alliance’s Mural Arts Program. The evening will feature a video compilation of urban murals to be projected on the walls of the space. There also will be music, a fashion show, dancing and more. But in my eagerness to tell you about the ARTrageous party I am getting ahead of myself. It is to be held on Friday, June 4 at The Palladium, 1400 Park Place, starting with cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7:45 p.m. and a gala Afterparty at 9:30.

It’s the Afterparty chaired by Aurielle Carr Shatz that particularly intrigues me. A recent member of the Craft Alliance Board of Directors, Arielle Shatz’s interest in educating the community about the organization’s mission stems from her grandfather, Dr. Burton Shatz, who served as the board president and developed outreach arts opportunities in urban schools.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to bring in a new network of students, young professionals and the St. Louis scene to learn about and get involved with community outreach and to enable new outlets for my generation’s philanthropic interests,” Arielle Shatz explained. Proceeds from the ARTrageous party will benefit Craft Alliance’s education, exhibition and community outreach programs.

For more information contact Saskya Byron at 314-725-1177, ext.321 or on line at [email protected].

COLLECTORS CHOICE, a unique special event created by the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, is a bonanza for art collectors.

Here’s the deal: With the purchase of one ticket, two people can attend two parties, plus receive one piece of art valued at $250 or more. You are guaranteed one piece of art for each ticket you hold. At the opening party and silent auction on Friday, May 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. there will be hors d’oeuvres, wine and refreshments while you review the art donated by regional artists. In addition, you can purchase raffle tickets for a beautiful Dale Chihuly glass sculpture. Then on Sunday, June 13 beginning at 11 a.m. the art selection will begin and the winner of the Chihuly will be selected. Photographer Carol Shapiro, who has generously donated her works ever since Collectors Choice started nine years ago, assures me that there will be a lot of good art available.

Tickets that admit two people to each event and the selection of one piece of art are $150 and may be obtained by calling 314-727-6266 or by sending your check to Collectors Choice, Two Oak Knoll Park, St. Louis MO 63105. The location of all events is the Artists Guild, #2 Oak Knoll Park at Clayton Road and Big Bend. Tickets are limited to the number of donated original works.

GRAND CENTER’S MUSEUM AND GALLERY ART WALK on Friday May 14 kicks off an art-filled summer. From 4 to 8 p.m. visitors can explore 16 museums and galleries including The Arthur and Helen Baer Visual Arts galleries, Contemporary Art Museum, Cardinal Ritter Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Sheldon Art Galleries and on and on.

The area will be alive with lively musicians, street performers, stilt walkers and face painters. A free shuttle will circulate the district inviting visitors to hop on and off to help them hit all the exhibits on their to-see list. The Art Walk in Grand Center is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.grandcenter.org.

JOE DREYER is well known in St. Louis as a music director, piano soloist and accompanist. Now he is about to launch a new career as a cabaret performer, and from what I hear from Jim Dolan, (St. Louis’ Mr. Cabaret), “He is an impish, sometimes irreverent storyteller as well as a tender partner.” Dreyer steps out as a cabaret singer in his show A Pre-War 3 – the 20s, 30s and 40s at 8 p.m. May 14 and 15 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand Boulevard. He picks songs of the period that mean the most to him, along with one or two of his own. You will hear music by Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer, Frank Loesser and George Gershwin, composers who also made their keyboards dance. For tickets at $20 go to www.LicketyTix.com or call 314-725-4200 ext.10.

RONALD McDonald HOUSE CHARITIES will be the beneficiary of the Laumeier Place Designer Showcases from May 14 to May 23. Five interior designers will display their talents in five of the luxury condos that are neighbors of the outstanding sculpture park. One hundred percent of the daily admission fee of $10 per person will go to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis, the not-for-profit organization which provides housing in proximity to hospitals for families forced to travel far from home for medical treatment for their ill children.

For more information or to schedule a private tour, contact Tunde Martak at 314-835-1635.