Toxic Free NC 3rd Annual LoveBug: The Great Draw Off Tonight

August, 05, 2011 , by David

Illustration: Anne Marie Kennedy

Toxic Free NC is the wonderful non profit that works to fight pesticide pollution North Carolina. Their annual fundraiser, LoveBug: The Great Draw Off, is a big event that invites local artists to create drawing live, in person, and then auction the drawings off later in the night.

Tonight, Love Bug starts at 6pm at Epona and Oak in City Market. First, the night opens with a children's competition and then has two rounds of adult competition where artists move on to the second round based on the auction price for their first works of the night. Adult Artists participating include David Eichenberger, Pete Sack, Liz Bradford, Amy Sawyer, Alison Overton, Paul Dumlao, Catherine Hannah, Patrick Hitesman, Rosalynn Villaescusa, Ann Marie Kennedy, Becky Wofford-Waehner, Robert Shertz, Leeann Hynes, MaRanda Kiser, Victor Knight, Jenn Haler, Christie Starnes

I spoke with Billie Karel, director of Toxic Free NC and sometimes blogger for New Raleigh about Love Bug- its origins and why Toxic Free is important to the health of people in North Carolina.

NR: Where did you get the idea for LoveBug: The Great Draw Off?

Billie Karel: The idea to start LoveBug came first from our executive director, Fawn Pattison, who saw a monster drawing contest-fundraiser on a trip to CA back in '08 or '09 and thought, "hey, we could do that with bugs!" And so the seed of the idea was born. But much of the creativity and legwork that went into putting together the first LoveBug in 2009, and really making it up from almost-scratch, came from Toxic Free NC volunteer and Raleigh superstar Christopher Grohs, who coordinated the first year's event. The rest is history!

NR: Do you have any favorite artists competing?

BK: As far as competing artists, it's hard to pick favorites: I've found a lot of new favorites through working on the LoveBug over the past few years! Of course returning champion David Eichenberger is a well-known and loved local artist, and I can't wait to see his bugs (last year some of them had parasols and were walking their little doggie-bugs on leashes!). Pete Sack is a personal friend and I know he's crafting a solid gold plan of attack for this year, so I also can't wait to see that unfold. My favorite artist to watch in competition is Pablo Dumlao, who, if past years are any indication, will basically personify joy while he's drawing, grinning ear to ear and showing zero stress.

NR: What are the dangers of pesticides for humans?

BK: Pesticides are toxic chemicals designed to do bad things to living critters. They're poison. And people are just bigger critters. The scientific literature is chock full of evidence that pesticides have negative effects on our health when they're in our food, our water, or our air. And how do they get there? Through use - and a whole lot of overuse - in agriculture, on people's lawns and gardens, and even in homes and businesses.

Exposure to pesticides has been associated with greater risk for a whole host of serious medical problems: asthma, attention and learning disorders (including ADHD and autism), lower fertility, and some types of cancer and birth defects. And what's worse, the risks are higher for babies and young children. It's not that Toxic Free NC is universally against all pesticide use ever: it's that we're universally anti-cancer, and pro-healthy babies and children, and so we're against any use of toxic chemicals that isn't absolutely necessary, or that isn't done with the utmost care to keep people from breathing, drinking, eating, or absorbing some of those chemicals through their skin.

Tonight check out the competition at Epona and Oak in City Market- it all starts at 6pm.