Forty years of art, 40 years of friends.

This is the motto the UI Museum of Art has adopted to celebrate 40 years of bringing art to the community.

Although official celebrations were in May, the museum will continue celebrating its 40th anniversary with the sixth-annual Museum pARTy at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Oakdale Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 300 E. Ninth St., Coralville. The Museum pARTy is a formal event composed of a reception with hors d’oeuvres, wine, and live entertainment from local band the Recliners.

The focus of this year’s event will not be on flood relief for UI art buildings but for future museum exhibitions, programs, and special events. According to the museum, the target is to reach $163,000 in private support, which the establishment relies on to remain active.

The museum will use a different method to raise money. Buffie Tucker, a Member Council coordinator at the museum, said rather than having silent auctions, sponsors will contribute money to cover the overall cost of a specific exhibit or potential program. Outside of exhibits, museum projects include advertising, e-newsletters, website construction, public education, outreach, and the museum’s magazine.

Kristin Hardy, the “Museum pARTy” chairwoman, views the event as “an important opportunity for community members to come together to support the museum.” The honorary chairwoman of the event is Joyce P. Summerwill.

Last year, more than 300 art patrons attended the Museum pARTy to strengthen the museum’s post-flood mission. The 2008 event raised $160,000. Tucker hopes to exceed that amount in this year’s fundraiser.

“This is our third year of raising funds in this type of program,” Tucker said. “We have found patrons to be very responsive knowing where their donations are going by presenting a menu of options for people to sponsor.”

The downfall of sponsors picking and choosing among projects to support is a lack of interest in certain areas, Tucker said. If projects don’t receive enough funding, they will likely be cut from the museum’s list of endeavors.

One of the largest projects for which the museum would like to raise funds is an exhibition by “first wave” feminist artist Lil Picard. The collection consists of 70 paintings, collages, and assemblages, plus two re-created installations and drawings created throughout her life. The museum considers her work as deeply intimate and a beautiful body of art.

“This will be our first major exhibition since the flood,” Tucker said.

And, with support from local donors and art lovers, the museum will be able to present exhibitions for years to come.