On Thursday, February 25, the Grants Committee and grant recipients from all over the Los Angeles area gathered at the lovely home of Karen Hillenburg for a festive reception beautifully organized by Karen and her Special Events co-chair, Liza Kerrigan. Guests were treated to a delicious spread of finger foods, topped off with giant strawberries and Karen’s own sugar cookies and brownies. The passion of the representatives of the 33 organizations receiving PAA grants was evident as Gwen Robertson and Meg Aldrich, Grants Co-Chairs, passed out checks totaling a record $301,500! Each of the delighted and grateful grant recipients spoke about the projects being funded by the PAA and about how much our support means to their organizations. The PAA has awarded over five and a half million dollars during its 61 years! None of this would be possible without the energy and imagination of our devoted 191 members, the support of our loyal patrons, and, during biennial art auction years like this year, the generosity of the many LA artists who donate artwork to us. The work of the Grants Committee goes right to the heart of our mission: to foster appreciation for contemporary visual arts in Southern California by supporting artists, exhibitions, educational programs and art-oriented, non-profit institutions. This year’s Grants Reception was simple, elegant, and exuberantly fun–just like we are!