A gala Grand Forks gathering for art
Paulette Tobin Grand Forks Herald
Published: 02/04/2010
Grand Forks isn’t exactly home to many gala events, but one of its most anticipated and popular will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday as well-dressed supporters of the North Dakota Museum of Art gather for its 19th annual gala and silent art auction.
With dozens of art works for sale, the evening will begin with wine, hors d’oeuvres, a signup for bidding cards and a recording of credit card numbers. Many participants also will get their first look at the works that will be sold, which have been displayed in the museum mezzanine for about two weeks.
The silent art auction will continue through dinner as white-gloved volunteers — many of them UND students — will act as “walking easels,” carrying the art pieces from table to table so that auction participants can continue their bidding wars.
Matthew Wallace of the North Dakota Museum of Art curated this year’s silent art auction, which has more than 50 pieces from regional, national and international artists, from emerging artists to contemporary artisans. All bids will open at $100. Here’s a look at just five of the works that will be for sale:
- “Roseville, ND,” a digital pigment print of a toppled building and a faded, sagging grain elevator on an old railroad siding, by David Britton, Its dimensions are 36 inches by 44 inches.
- “Embrace,” by Gretchen Bederman, is 72 inches tall and 24 inches wide, a mysterious and dreamy image of a woman and a horse created with graphite and mushroom ink.
- “Bottle Cluster” by Cyrus Swann, seven pieces of blue and green reduction-fired stoneware clustered in a 21-inch row that goes from shortest to tallest and shortest again.
- “Untitled,” by Bart Vargas, a Latex paint, shellac, wood and Plexiglass piece, about 26 by 22.5 inches, that evokes a faded Old Glory.
- “Economic Recovery,” in bright colors including yellow, blue and red, a 40- by 40-inch acrylic full of bold lines, squiggles and splotches, by Jeff Amann.
The list of artists with works in the auction also includes Antony Anderson, Matt Anderson, Charles Beck, Pirio Berg, Bennett Brien, Michelle Brusegaard, Kevin Chamberlain, John Christiansen, James Culleton, Marlon Davidson, Megan Eckman, Lori Esposito, Ryan Frates, Guillermo Guardia, Kellie Hames, Sara Hultin, Keith Johnson, Dan Jones, Tessie Jones, Adam Kemp, Chuck Kimmerle, Gretchen Kottke, Emily Lunde, Roddy MacInnes, Nathan Mastrud, Jessica Matson-Fluto, David Mehrer, Jessica Mongeon, Vivienne Morgan, Jeffrey Opp, Casey Opstad, Morgan Owens, Duane Perkins, Jeff Peterson, Doug Pfliger, Walter Piehl, Punchgut Studio, Armando Ramos, Ingred Restemayer, Dyan Rey, Talon Stammen, Keisuke Ueno, David Valdez, Jessica Wachter, Donavan Widmer and Robert Wilson.
Some of the artists have donated all proceeds from the sale of their work to the museum, and others have donated a portion, a news release said. Proceeds from dinner reservations, the auction and raffle will be used for programming and exhibits at NDMOA.
Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and prepared by Justin Welsh, a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu’s Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore. Vegetarian meals can be provided by request. As in past years, wines have been chosen by wine expert Michael McCullough and centerpieces (which will be given away as door prices) were made by Jan Heitmann of All Seasons, committee members, artist Adam Kemp and other volunteers.
Co-chairs for the gala are Al Boucher and Thomasine Heitkamp and John and Dawn Botsford.
Reservations are $100 and can be made by calling the North Dakota Museum of Art at (701) 777-4195. Tables of eight are available and parties can be seated together by request. Attire is black-tie optional, and valet parking is offered.
A volunteer committee along with more than 40 private and corporate sponsors help make the evening possible, a news release said.
Reach Tobin at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or send e-mail to ptobin@gfherald.com.
