CAMBRIDGE - The countdown to the 10th Annual Guest Artist Gala has begun! “Monet’s Garden” will bloom in the second floor George B. Todd Performance Hall at the Dorchester Center for the Arts on April 22, 6 – 10 p.m., for an entertaining evening of art and music, dining and dancing, plus live and silent auctions. Admission is $65 per person for DCA members and $75 for non-members. Proceeds from the event benefit DCA educational programs and services.

The Guest Artist teams are deep in work creating their piece for the evening’s live auction. Several of the teams will share their experience during the evening. The premise of the guest artist event is that community leaders, who are not perceived as artists, are selected to be “Guest Artists” and then paired with local professionals in the arts.

The medium used will vary from year to year, based on each professional artist’s area of expertise – from painting, mixed media, and ceramics to jewelry, photography, and more. Working together, and coached by the professional, the community leader creates a work of art.

The artists and guest artists are given several weeks to create the work, to allow for busy schedules and the convenience of all involved.

The pieces created are then auctioned off at the “black tie admired, not required” gala. This year’s theme is “Monet’s Garden.” Claude Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting, and lived in the village of Giverny, France for 43 years.

In keeping with the theme, arrangements designed by members of the Dorchester Garden Club will be featured in the event décor. These floral artists will create interpretive designs inspired by Monet’s home, the green-shuttered house in Giverny surrounded by abundant gardens, and each arrangement will feature a green shutter. As an additional bonus, these works of floral art will be available in the silent auction.

The Dorchester Garden Club has stated that their participation is in tandem with the Goals and Objectives of the National Garden Club — particularly their objective of community education and outreach. Additional greenery will be provided courtesy of Mowbray’s Garden Center and the patient artists at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center.

Silent auction items will include generously donated items and services from local businesses, as well as original art, custom gift baskets, and more. For everyone’s dancing pleasure, Rich and the Roadrunners with special guest Daryl Davis will provide the evening’s live music.

Thank you to this years’ event participants – guest artists Jermaine Anderson, Robin Burton, Kathy Clark, Marlene Lashuk, Jack Saum, Anastasia Spear and Andrea Vernot as well as the dedicated artist coaches Kathy Flament, Lesley Giles, David Grafton, Deborah Haynes, Theresa McFadden, Linda Starling, and Fran Saunders.

Reservations for the Guest Artist Gala may be made by calling Dorchester Center for the Arts at 410-228-7782 or stop by at 321 High St. in Cambridge.

Editor’s note: Spectrum is the weekly column of the Dorchester Arts Center. It is written by Barbara J. Seese, executive director.