Tri-C Club of Cuba hosted its third annual Bad Art by Good People event on March 20 at the Wallace House.

Eight local artists were paired with eight community members (called protégés) who have no art background. Over the course of two months, the artists mentored their protégé in creating their art piece, which were auctioned off at Friday night’s event.

All funds raised during the event support youth in the community by helping Tri-C Club offer scholarships, support Girls State and Sophomore Pilgrimage, sponsor Senior Tea and more. This year, a portion of the funds were also donated to Cuba’s art teachers at the elementary, middle and high schools to help them purchase classroom supplies.

The event sold out of all 50 tickets that were available and raised over $5,300 in total.

Art pieces were created in all mediums, including paintings, pottery, photography and even chainsaw art. Protégé Darin Layman spoke about his experience working with mentor Merry Cloer to create his mosaic piece.

“Sometimes in my profession, it gets pretty intense and you can’t turn it off,” Layman said. “With this, I was able to kind of turn it off a little bit.”

Protégé Becky Doyle’s drawing titled “Wish You Were Here” carried a special meaning for her. When Doyle first met her mentor, Shelly Steiger, she knew she wanted to make a piece to honor her late parents. Steiger helped her learn to draw a dandelion, with pieces blowing in the wind and small paper airplanes drifting off toward the sky to represent the message “I wish you were here.”

A charcoal and graphite drawing titled “Lake at Dusk,” created by protégé Dave Workman, Sr., with guidance from mentor Kim Baldwin sold for $1,125, the highest bid of the night. Milam Smith traveled from Arkansas to auctioneer the event for the third year.

“Y’all are what makes Cuba, Cuba,” Smith told attendees. “You’ve got community, you’ve got beautiful art, and there’s something different here. And this is why, because you’ve got people that are proud to be from Cuba, you’ve got people that want to give back.”

The event was organized by Sue Ryle, Cloe Workman and Angelica Nuno. Ryle first brought the idea to Cuba three years ago after she attended a similar event in Hannibal, where one of her family members participated as a protégé. She felt that Cuba had plenty of talented artists and could put on something similar to raise money for the community.

“Everything goes back into the community, and this is just something that our community has never had,” Ryle said. “This is different, and it’s fun. And I think our artists always have a good time, and especially our students.”

Tri-C Club’s mission is to be a caring force in the community that helps to build character. New members are always welcome.