DAPHNE, Ala. — Bay Rivers Art Guild will host a silent auction from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday in which proceeds from the sales of seven murals will go toward funding area schools’ art departments.

Art classes from seven schools — Bayside Academy; Daphne Middle and High schools; Fairhope Middle and High schools; and Spanish Fort Middle and High schools — each completed a mural for the 2008 Eastern Shore Arts and Crafts Festival.

Baldwin County public schools fine arts and media supervisor Vicky Cook said the full amount of each mural sold will go toward its corresponding school’s art department and will be used to purchase paint, canvases, brushes and ink.

The itemsfor printmaking.

“They didn’t get any curriculum tuition from the state this year,” Cook said, adding that art departments — before recent budget cuts — received a $500 annual stipend.

“The goal is to replace the loss of money,” Cook said.

The murals’ theme, developed by the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, is “Impressionists by the Sea.”

In painting their murals, the students and art club members took their cues from such renowned Impressionists as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezzane and Vincent Van Gogh.

Before they took their place at the guild, the murals had hung at Andree’s Deli in Fairhope.

“This is the first time we have participated in a fundraiser for the schools, and yes, this is as a result of the drastic cuts to the arts budgets for the Baldwin County schools,” Bay Rivers manager Lynn Rios said.

“BRAG does participate in and promote arts in the schools through Springhill Memorial Hospital’s Volunteer Services ‘Color By Kids’ competition here in Baldwin County. We also have our own Baldwin County Seniors’ College Scholarship Judged Art Show and Exhibition,” she said, “where we award $1800.

“This competition will be held in March of 2010 instead of this fall to enable more students to participate.”

The murals will be on display at the guild — at 1704 Sixth St. — until Nov. 4.