Tag: auction

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Auction Weekend 2019

This August 9 and 10 we celebrated Penland’s 34th Annual Benefit Auction with great art, great views, great fun—and so many of you! Auction weekend is an important time for the Penland community to come together and support our creative programming. And whether that support is through bidding, contributing to our Fund-A-Need cause, donating art, or volunteering time, it all adds up to make a big difference. Thank you, all of you, for turning this weekend into such a success.

Here are a few numbers to paint a picture of the 2019 Penland Benefit Auction:

  • 434 auction guests on Friday and 458 guests on Saturday
  • More than 175 volunteers who helped with everything from washing dishes to arranging flowers to serving drinks
  • 216 pieces of original artwork in glass, clay, metals, and more donated by Penland artists
  • 3 featured artists: glassblower Nick Fruin, metalsmith Lola Brooks, and ceramic sculptor Kensuke Yamada
  • 1 Outstanding Artist Educator: the inimitable Bob Ebendorf!
  • 7 metalsmiths, all students of Bob Ebendorf’s, who created original cynosures to adorn every table under the tent
  • Over 500 mugs handmade by Nicki Strouss for Saturday morning’s Coffee at the Barns
  • 26 generous event sponsors
  • 16 Penland residents artists and core fellows who opened their studios to share their work
  • $472,980 raised for Penland!

And, because a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a short summary of the weekend’s events in photos. A more complete album of auction images can be found on our Facebook page.

The first sign of auction weekend: a big white tent springs up over the volleyball court.

 

Another sign: this incredible crew of volunteers on all corners of campus! There’s a lot to be done, and we couldn’t do it without these folks.

 

Kicking the weekend off: a Penland Gallery reception and artist talk with Hoss Haley, whose exhibition of large-scale steel sculpture is on view through September 15.

 

Honoring a legend: a gathering to recognize metalsmith, mentor, and friend Bob Ebendorf as Penland’s 2019 Outstanding Artist Educator.

 

Getting into the swing of it: silent auction and snacks and cocktails and photo booth fun up at Penland’s new Northlight building!

 

Under the tent: dinner and live bidding begin!

 

To end the evening: coffee, dessert, a preview of Saturday’s artwork, and a live jazz band!

 

Back for day two: Coffee in handmade mugs and a chance to visit the studios of Penland’s seven resident artists.

 

Moving on to more art: an open house hosted by Penland’s core fellows featuring work from their Penland workshops.

 

And now for the big event: 40 original pieces up for bidding under the tent!

 

That’s a wrap: big thanks to everyone who joined us this year and made our 34th auction such a special one! See you next year under the tent on August 7 and 8.

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Auction Weekend in Photos

The following post contains a photo slideshow that is best viewed on the Penland blog.

First sign it's auction weekend: a big white tent.
These are our incredible 2018 auction volunteers. This weekend couldn't happen without their enthusiastic help and support!
Mia Hall welcomes Penland's Lucy Morgan Leaders to the Director's Luncheon.
The buffet at the Director's Luncheon always includes lots of produce right from the Penland garden.
On Friday afternoon, students and friends of woodworker Doug Sigler gathered to honor him as Penland's 2018 Outstanding Artist Educator.
Friday's afternoon festivities centered around the new Northlight complex. The auction was the first event in the space!
Artwork for Friday's silent and live auctions hanging in the new photography studio.
Two levels of porches provided ample space for catching up with friends and enjoying a drink.
Meanwhile, as the evening got darker, the tent lit up for Friday's live auction.
Each auction table was decorated with a unique centerpiece by one of Penland's core fellows or studio coordinators. Each one was made around the theme of "vessels." This blown glass vase is by Corey Pemberton.
Light rain on Friday evening made for a colorful parade from Northlight to the tent.
Friday night lights under the tent!
This dough bowl by Joshua Kuensting kicked off Friday's live auction.
A photograph by recent resident artist Mercedes Jelinek up for bidding.
A volunteer shows off Julia Woodman's cocktail ladle.
The action under the tent by night.
Happy bidders at the end of a successful Friday evening. Thanks to all for their generous support!
Friday evening finished off with coffee, dessert, a preview of Saturday's pieces, and live music outside Northlight.
Starting Saturday morning off with Coffee at the Barns, a favorite auction tradition.
Penland's resident artists welcome auction guests into their studios to see their most recent work.
Ceramic artist Kurt Anderson made the 500+ unique mugs for this year's auction, each one decorated with his signature creatures in different colors.
Auction guests visiting the studio of residents Maggie and Tom Jaszczak.
In the jewelry studio of resident artist Laura Wood.
Meanwhile, up at Northlight, Penland's core fellows also had an open house to show off their work.
The Core Fellows Open House in the new gallery space at Northlight.
Work up for bidding at Saturday's auction was displayed in the new social hall at Northlight (this shot was taken from the 2nd floor balcony!).
Thanks to our wonderful contributing artists for the beautiful pieces they donate to Penland and to our excellent volunteers for staging everything!
Admiring this year's featured piece, "8 Bats 4 Seasons" by Tim Tate.
Saturday morning photobooth shenanigans, complete with big creatures by Kurt Anderson and a bat or two for good measure.
Back for more! Saturday's auction kicks off with auctioneer Mark Oliver.
Paddles up!
"The Challenger," a large reduction woodcut by Jun Lee up for auction.
Corey Pemberton served as this year's auction captain. He also had the best suit.
Volunteers let their bat wings fly for bidding on Tim Tate's signature piece, "8 Bats 4 Seasons."
Volunteers taking it all in from a sunny perch outside the tent.
What a weekend! Thanks to everyone who made it such a success, including this stellar group. We'll see you next August 9-10 for the 2019 auction.

 

As the days turn cooler and the sun sets ever earlier, we’ve been thinking back to one of our favorite weekends from the height of summer: the 33rd Annual Penland Benefit Auction!

This year’s auction was a great success thanks to the hundreds of attendees, contributing artists, volunteers, sponsors, and Penland staff who gave their time, talent, energy, and more. It was a chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones, enjoy remarkable art, honor some important people in our community, celebrate Penland’s new Northlight complex, and relax in this beautiful mountain setting. Scroll through the photos above to relive a bit of the fun!

Here are a few facts and figures from auction weekend:

  • Attendees: 649
  • Volunteers: 182
  • Outstanding Artist Educator: Woodworker and longtime Penland instructor Doug Sigler
  • Featured piece: 8 Bats 4 Seasons, a mesmerizing mirrored “portal” by Tim Tate
  • Fund-A-Need project: Renovating Morgan Hall to use as a communal house for Penland interns
  • Works up for bidding: 233
  • Total art sales: $340,622
  • Total revenue: $640,107
  • Net revenue generated for Penland programs: $462,294

Next year’s auction will be held August 9-10, 2019. Mark your calendars and join us then!

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Scenes from the 2017 Penland Benefit Auction

It wouldn’t be August at Penland without our biggest event of the year: the Annual Penland Benefit Auction! This year’s on August 11-12 was another rousing success and a beautiful illustration of just how vital Penland’s community is to our many programs. We owe everyone involved a giant THANK YOU—from the Penland staff, interns, core fellows, and resident artists to the event sponsors, advertisers, and donors. Hundreds of artists gave exquisite works of art, hundreds of volunteers came to clean the campus and move furniture and prepare the displays and pour the drinks, and hundreds of guests came to enjoy it all and support our programs. We couldn’t pull off the auction without the love and generosity of each and every one of these people, but together, they helped us do something incredible. Together, we raised $638,390 for Penland! This money goes to support so many aspects of our campus, from maintenance and renovations to beloved buildings like the Craft House to purchasing supplies for our studios and paying the salaries of our dedicated staff.

The benefit auction is also a time to recognize some very special people at Penland. We were lucky this year to have featured artist Vivian Beer on campus to share her work as a furniture designer, and we welcomed incoming Penland director Mia Hall under the tent with her husband David Clemons and their daughter Fiona. We also got to recognize two incredible women as our 2017 Outstanding Artist Educators: potter Cynthia Bringle and weaver Edwina Bringle. Both have been pillars of our creative community for decades, sharing their expertise, critical eye, and encouragement with generations of aspiring artists. The impact they have made on Penland is impossible to quantify, and it was truly a joy to thank them for their dedication to this place and the work that we do.

We hope the slideshow below is a fitting tribute to all the fun, the hard work, the beauty, and the camaraderie that went into this year’s auction. We’re already looking forward to doing it again with you all next year on August 10-11, 2018!

 

 

Want more? See the photo booth pictures from Friday, Saturday, and the volunteer party on Saturday night!