Well, I’ve always said my show is the real deal and would work in a field on the top of a milk crate with two boy scouts holding flashlights… I never thought I’d have to prove it but, a while back, I was performing in a clear tent for about 100 people on a very eclectic ranch with a donkey, chickens, and other animals…LOL!
Just as I was about to go to the stage, all the fancy programmed show lighting glitched out. It was pitch black!
My show manager literally put two flashlights on the stage… and we rocked the house or should I say tent. After the show, my art sold for $110,000 to benefit the Glendora Educational Foundation!
Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Fundraiser was held at Harrah’s Casino and Resort in Kansas City amongst an upscale crowd along with celebrities such as golfer John Daly, and legendary country singer Trish Yearwood, and of course, Garth Brooks. After cocktails and dinner, Michel Israel took the stage and performed three paintings, a portrait of John Daily, one of Trish Yearwood, who would perform later that night in Harrah’s theater, and a fantastic portrait of Garth Brooks. Together with a matching donation, Michael’s artworks raised $400,000 that night!
Before his performance, Michael Israel met Garth Brooks backstage. It was incredible! Garth, a seven-time CMA/ACM Entertainer of the Year, really loves kids and the people everywhere, as does Michael, who has a kind heart and passion for life. After the meeting, Michael took his performance to a whole new level. Performing to some of Garth’s biggest hits. The outpouring of love for the kids, the country music star, and for Michael’s painting was extraordinary. Michael performed to Garth Brooks’s portrait to “Friends in Low Places; it sold for $50,000!
The Fundraiser
The event, the Annual Teammates for Kids, is a signature fundraiser for Teammates for Kids, which raises funds for local children and families in need throughout the Kansas City metro area. Since 1998, Teammates for Kids has provided 4,288 in-need children and families with basic needs, including clothing, meals, car repairs, and rent assistance. Teammates for Kids has grown to become a national non-profit organization that has helped countless families over the years. Teammates for Kids has served more than 5 million people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with $216 million raised. Teammates for Kids has impacted more than 1.5 million children directly and helped more than 2 million through community partnerships. View original content with multimedia:http://var/web/site/public_html.prnewswire.
When the Norton Museum closed its art school in 1986, a dedicated group of artists, art teachers, and community activists formed the Armory Art Center to ensure the continuation of practical art instruction in Palm Beach County. In seeking a new home for the art school, they looked to the neglected Armory building constructed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in an Art Deco style and designed by William Manley King. The building was a National Guard Armory from 1939 to 1982. By the late 1980s, after a period of multiple community uses, including high school dances, the building was scheduled for demolition when the art activists and the Palm Beach County Cultural Council came together to convince the City of West Palm Beach to spare the building from demolition and allow it to be transformed into an art center.
The Armory Art Center was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization on November 21, 1986, after the art group renovated the abandoned Art Deco structure into a vibrant space for art classes and art exhibitions. The center opened its doors to the public in July 1987 as a result of generous contributions from its many supporters, most notably Robert and Mary Montgomery and the Historic Preservation and Cultural Facilities Grants of the State of Florida. In 1992 the Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the past three decades, the Armory has taught art classes to thousands of emerging artists of all ages and cultures, exhibited art in hundreds of shows, given workshops taught by national and international visiting master artists, provided summer art camp for thousands of young people, and since the year 2000 has yearly given new artists-in-residence from around the United States and abroad the opportunity to hone their craft while teaching classes. The Armory looks to a long future of enhancing artistic life in the Palm Beaches.
