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The polls are now open for the 13th annual Bad Art by Good People fundraiser, presented by the Champaign County Arts Council.

Today’s featured artist is Karen Hart, President & CEO, First Central National Bank

Education: Miami East Local Schools; Edison Community College

Organization affiliations: Treasurer of Champaign Economic Partnership, First Central National Bank Board of Directors, and 4-H

Arts Involvement: Participates in the Barn Quilt competition at the Miami County Fair.

Special skills or interest: Agriculture, banking, traveling, and family.

Comments about artwork: I have worked at The First Central National Bank since I was 18 years old. While I don’t have much artistic experience, my professional experience has always revolved around money. When asked to participate in the Bad Art by Good People fundraiser, deciding on my project was a bit of a struggle at first. I knew I wanted to incorporate currency in my project, and finally decided to create origami artwork with suggestions from family and co-workers. Origami was a simple, fun, and creative way to utilize money in my art piece and make it stand out! Each item on my board represents a small portion of the wonderful things in Champaign County.

-The House represents the cities, villages, and towns where citizens of the county reside.

-The 4-Leaf Clover represents the strong Agricultural presence in our county as well as the Great Champaign County Fair, 4-H and FFA programs.

-The Star is the seat of Champaign County and represents economic development branching out from the epicenter of the county to our local communities.

-The Piece of Candy symbolizes all the local shops, caterers, and small grocery stores located throughout the county.

-The Dress and Suit represents the local boutiques and antique stores that many of our towns are known for!

-The Guitar and Music Note represents the festivals, entertainment and the great events put on by the Arts Council.

-The Wine Bottle and Glass represents the local wineries and the many locally owned restaurants known for their great food and relaxing atmosphere.

-The Wrench represents the locally owned Tool and Dye shops, Independent Mechanics and the Auto and Manufacturing Industry within our county.

-The Fish represents nature, the local Hatchery, local parks, camping and outdoor attractions.

The Piggy Banks represent the strong Financial Industry presence in this county. From big banks to small community banks and every institution in between.

How to participate

The public can vote for their favorite artwork using PayPal on the Arts Council’s website, www.champaigncountyartscouncil.org. Votes can also be cast with cash, check or credit card at the Arts Council, 119 Miami St., Urbana. The office is open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Watch the Urbana Daily Citizen during the weeks leading up to the dinner for profiles on each artist and photos of the artists with their creations.

Dinner auction

A limited number of tickets are available for the dinner and auction, which will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, May 3 at Woodruff Farm, 3143 U.S. Route 36. Tickets are $30 and include a catered dinner and dessert.

The “Bad Art” will be auctioned after dinner. All proceeds will benefit the Arts Council.

Tickets are for sale at the Arts Council’s office and online at the Arts Council’s website.

The Diamond sponsor for the event is Wallace & Turner Insurance. Gold sponsor is The V. Patrick Hamilton Group/REMAX Alliance. Silver sponsor is CRSI. Bronze sponsors are Civista Bank and Henderson Land Investment Co.

For more information, contact the Arts Council office at 937-653-7557.