Online auction: it's later than you think
Friendly reminder: you have less than a week to claim that artwork you’ve been eyeing all month. The Artist Trust online art sale closes on April 28th. And bidding shuts down at 10pm that night — not midnight, like many other deadlines — 10pm next Wednesday.
Lisa Myers Bulmash, “Common Ground,” collage on paper
Also, I wasn’t kidding last week when I said my collages are “only going to get more expensive from here on out.” See for yourself: go visit my online shop. (And no, the IRS doesn’t allow artists to write off the final auction price as a business expense.) So the person who takes “Common Ground” home will be helping me help other Washington state artists. Happy shopping!
Put a bid on it
Auctioneers astonish and confuse me, but I stand in awe of the bidders. How can they tell what the auctioneer’s even saying? Did I just buy a bridge in Brooklyn or something? Can’t I just bid and pay?
Why, yes, yes you can,… at the Artist Trust online auction. Last time I checked the site, two people were bidding on the collage I donated for this fundraiser. In an ordinary year, the auction is Artist Trust’s main source of funding for grants and other resources artists need. Once the pandemic struck, though, Artist Trust redirected their funds into emergency cash grants for artists. You remember how dire the need was last year, don’t you? Those grants were a lifesaver for some Washington state artists.
Supporters bid on artworks at the 2019 Artist Trust auction gala. Photo credit: Andre Ruth
Usually, a live auction follows a silent auction/ cocktail party. But because of pandemic gathering restrictions, the event’s become a month-long silent auction you can attend in your pajamas. If you’re in a position to do so, please find something you like and bid on it now — and keep checking your bid. Remember, no auctioneer this year to tell you if the artwork is yours… and my collage is only going to get more expensive from here on out.
We've got unfinished business, you and me
As the philosopher said, “unfinished business always comes back to haunt you.” How about we put something to rest, while giving new life to something else?
This was the collage I’d hoped you could bid on in March 2020, during the annual Artist Trust auction gala. But of course you couldn’t, because… COVID-19. However! Now you can bid on “Common Ground” at the online art auction! The kick-off party happens Thursday, April 8th.
As always, Artist Trust splits the final auction price with the artist who donated the piece; they fund their grants, workshops and other artist resources with their auction proceeds. Even if the pandemic has snuffed out your party mood, you can still donate in other ways — and your gift may help sustain the artists’ lives as well as their careers.