Walking into the Gensler design offices on the third floor of the new W Hotel, it's a fun challenge to distinguish what is part of Thursday's Generous Art exhibition and what is just part of their normal office decor. Everything looks like works of art.

Luckily, Generous Art organizer and curator Jennifer Chenoweth knows the space like the back of her hand and has chosen the perfect spaces throughout the office to highlight the best qualities of each of the 31 pieces on display in tonight's unique community-driven fundraising event. With this exhibition, the second for Generous Art, artists, community members and art collectors will mingle in a way that benefits each one of them.

At a Generous Art show, each of the night's sales will be divided into three predetermined amounts: 40 percent to the artist, 40 percent to the collector's choice of nonprofits, and 20 percent to Generous Art itself. Those funds help propel Generous Art further through web design, promotion and bigger fundraisers like this one. "I'm excited to bring a new audience, the nonprofit supporters, in to the gallery experience," says Chenoweth during our walk-through. "These are all my worlds coming together."

Tonight's blend of high-end donors mixing with Austin's nonprofits and artists is sure to strike up an interesting blend of colors and a new approach to art sales. "This process rejects the notion that buying art is selfish," explains Chenoweth. "Collectors can feel good about their contributions to the city, and artists can feel safe knowing where their art and where the money is going."

This win-win process is revolutionary after some of the experiences Chenoweth has heard from other artists who have had some less than stellar experiences with galleries and nonprofits in the past. "Sometimes artists donate their work for a nonprofit, and their work is not cared for or treated as valuable works of art. We're changing that in a big way." Generous Art replaces the traditional time-consuming art auction with a face-to-face fundraiser that allows collectors to meet the artists and the nonprofits who will benefit from the sale.

In this exhibit, the truly phenomenal artists featured are: women's portrait artist Felice House, multi-media mandala creator Virginia Fleck, cosmological sculptor Richard Mansfield, hyper-real photography painter Stella Alesi, textile sculptor Jade Walker, symbolistic furniture builder Wells Mason, elemental sculptor Judith Simonds, dance and movement painter Karen Maress, maritime painter Annie Simpson and Chenoweth herself.

Chenoweth met several of these amazing artists as a graduate student in the University of Texas' MFA program. Today, she is the owner of Fisterra Gallery, and has been featured in galleries across the country for her paintings and architecture-inspired sculpture. "I'm an artist myself," says Chenoweth. "I know how tough this business is. It's expensive to own a gallery, and the art world is not always transparent."

Now a panelist for the City of Austin's Art in Public Places program, she's developed a keen eye for marketing and business decisions, which she put to good use developing Generous Art. "I thought about it for very a long time," she says, "Since nobody else is doing this, I had to figure it out. I like book keeping, so it came easily. But it's also been a great learning process."

Chenoweth is putting that business savvy to good work in the innovative approach to continuing sales as well. "Usually, when artists have an exhibit," explains Chenoweth, "we'll display 10, sell two and give the gallery three. But there's not much of a secondary market." Because the Generous Art website continues to display the remaining works still for sale, collectors can continue to shop and purchase works they may not have seen in person. "Each artist at this fundraiser only has one piece on display, but five or six up on the site."

The updated website also includes a gifts page so that recipients may apply credits to the art work of their choosing. And each one of the artists handles their own inventory, so everything is entirely transparent with Generous Art and its artists from beginning to end.

So far, Generous Art has 21 nonprofits listed on their website, but that's because those are the ones Chenoweth knew right off hand, either from community friends or having donated there in the past. "I love everyone in town, and I want them to apply to become one of our recipients. I just can't find them all myself!"

The event tonight is free and open to the public. It will be a compelling mix of artists and nonprofit volunteers, staff and supporters mingling with the art collectors and donors that share a passion for community improvement as well as the arts. Live music will be provided by the Robert Kraft Jazz Trio, food provided by Texas French Bread and wine from East End Wines. It's also a fun way to check out the Gensler offices at the W.

Gensler is just the first of many Generous Art exhibitions to come. Chenoweth is on the planning committee for the new downtown library, which will include a state of the art event space that she's already got her eyes on. In the meanwhile, you can see the stellar pieces available for purchase after tonight on the Generous Art website.