Mad Hatters IMC Preparing Second Annual

Community Art Auction

BETHEL — The Mad Hatters Independent Media Center (IMC) of Danbury will present its second annual community art auction on Saturday, December 11, at Molten Java Coffeehouse, 102 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel.

There will be both live and silent auctions of local businesses’ wares as well as art from local artists for all tastes and budgets in all mediums.

The silent auction will begin at 6 pm followed by the live auction at 8. Admission is free.

A non-profit organization, IMC is always looking for creative ways to fundraise and spread the word about the its existence and its free bi-monthly newspaper, Hat City Free Press.

“We found that an art auction is a great way to make ourselves visible to the public and fundraise while giving local artists a venue to display and sell their work,” said Sarah Watts, one of the auction’s organizers an IMC and HCFP volunteer. “Fifty percent of the money raised at the auction will help fund the IMC and our newspaper, and the remaining fifty percent will go directly to the artists.”

The Danbury IMC is an independent, volunteer-run organization that believes in freedom of thought and expression. Its focus is on bringing news to the area, as well as areas out of state.

Hat City Free Press is distributed to over 100 outlets in Connecticut and New York, and it celebrated its third anniversary in July 2004. The IMC also runs an “infoshop,” located at 241 Main Street in Danbury, which houses a lending library of over 1,500 books, videos, progressive publications and ‘zines. The newspaper and the center are funded through donations made by the public and by members of the IMC, local businesses that advertise within the pages of its paper, and through various fundraising efforts.

IMC does not receive corporate sponsorships, allowing the freedom to objectively focus on issues often overlooked by major media outlets.

The first IMC chapter was set up in Seattle, Wash.

For information about Mad Hatters IMC or the upcoming art auction call 730-9397.