The 11th annual Clay Ball on Feb. 27 netted nearly $65,000 for the Salem Art Association. That is about a 4 percent increase over last year's ball.
About 555 people attended the gala at the Salem Conference Center, according to Lorraine Gaucher, fundraising coordinator for the art association.
A pastel painting by James Southworth, "State Street Sentinels," sold for $3,500, one of the highest prices earned by an artwork in the history of Clay Ball.
Salem Art Association operates the Bush House Museum and the Bush Barn Art Center in Bush's Pasture Park. The organization's Community Arts Education Program reaches 11,000 public-school children in three counties.
The event is one of two major fundraisers each year for the organization, along with the Salem Art Fair & Festival in July.
The art association's yearly budget is $1.05 million. Sixty-seven percent is earned through gallery sales, tuition and art fair sales; the rest comes from sponsorships, grants, memberships and individual gifts.