On Friday, the Spencer Museum of Art will play host to the “Dollars for Scholars” tag sale, an event designed to fund programs that introduce youngsters to the world of art.

The sale, which is free and open to the public, is an effort by the docents of the Spencer and volunteers to raise scholarship funds for children’s art classes.

According to Karen Gerety, who coordinates the courses, Saturday Art Appreciation generally draws about 60 elementary and junior high school students a semester. The classes offer students both an appreciation of the art housed at the Spencer and the chance to create their own masterpieces. Students spend half of the class learning about the different temporary exhibits in the Spencer, such as American Indian art or photography, as well as pieces from the permanent collection.

“Last week we did ancient Egyptian sculpture,” Gerety says. “They made canopic jars out of clay. Those are the jars they put the mummy’s guts in.”

While canopic jars are not among the items to be sold or auctioned at the sale, Dollars for Scholars committee member Betsy Weaver promises there will be no lack of interesting objects.

Paintings, posters, photographs, antiques, furniture, quilts, books, china and art from around the world all will available for purchase.

“We’ll also have lots of costume jewelry that I think the KU students will love, lots of vintage pieces,” Weaver says.

And the best part? Weaver says everything will be priced to sell, with most articles between $10 and $20.

Some items also will be auctioned during the course of the sale. Among these is a watercolor view of campus done by the late Michael Ott, a KU painting professor. Two turn-of-the-19th-century quilts also will be part of the auction. An Egyptian blue lapis and amber necklace and a sterling silver custom-made Jayhawk bracelet will be raffled during the evening as well.

Everything was donated by Lawrence residents, Weaver says, and volunteers have done all of the organizing so as much money as possible could go to the scholarship fund.

Refreshments and a live band that will perform outside the Spencer also were donated for the benefit.

Weaver, the other docents and committee members hope the sale will raise the $10,000 needed to endow the fund. The money generated from the interest on the sale’s profits would support scholarships for the art program for years to come.

“I think the classes have been successful for the kids, but the parents will also come in to pick them up and wind up walking through the museum with them,” Gerety says.

“It makes the museum accessible and friendly to everyone in the community.”