The Penticton Art Gallery had a full house and sold out crowd for their 42nd annual art auction fundraiser.
“We had 180 tickets sold, and a line-up of people beyond that. It was amazing, we haven’t had that for a long time for this particular event,” said Paul Crawford, the curator and director for the gallery. “We always keep our expectations as modest as possible when we make the budget at the start of the year. We were expecting around 120 tickets, based on previous years. I think the community heard about some of the trouble we’ve been having, and they really showed up to support us.”
Guests to the auction were treated to food catered by Chef in Stead. The wines for the event were provided by Bench 1775 Winery, and other drinks were provided by Legend Distilling and the Cannery Brewing Co. Music for the evening was played by DJ Splendid Bastard and Sax Among Friends.
Items up for auction included over 150 pieces of art, as well as a private live concert from Penticton’s own Mason Burns, backstage passes and signed memorabilia for Bad Company and Lynyrd Skynrd, a catered dinner for 10 from the Nest & Nectar, and more.
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One of the new twists this year to the auction were multiple item lots featuring several pieces of art by the same artist. The winning bidder was given the choice of taking all of the lot, or selecting from them, after which the next highest bidder would have a chance to take their choice of the rest. All but a few of the items sold in the live auction, and every silent auction item found a home.
“If this wasn’t our top year in term of net revenue, it’s certainly in our top three,” said Crawford. “It’s great, and we were modest in our budgeting for the year, and it will make up for a little bit of the ground we lost to the break-ins earlier. We’re still a bit down from that, and we have some other large infrastructure things we’re looking at needing this year. Every bit helps, and means we don’t have to pull or find it somewhere else.”
All of the items in the auction were either donated for the event, or acquired over the gallery’s many years of operation. One of the highlights of the auction was a piece by Native artist Benjamin Chee Chee. The print, 4 geese, sold for over $3,000 and is one of many pieces that Crawford is both sad to see leave, and happy to know has found a very loving home.
“The woman who bought it, she drove all the way here for six hours,” said Crawford. “She made it all the way just so she could bid on it. It was a piece that had always eluded her, and now she got it for a great deal.”
The money from the auction supports the gallery and their programs, including the Young@Art after school program, as well as supporting the exhibits and artists that are displayed in the gallery.
Next week, the gallery will be opening up their next exhibit. Artists will begin setting out and installing their pieces on Tuesday, July 2, with the summer exhibitions having their grand opening on Friday, July 5. The reception begins at 7 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m.
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