ART AUCTION COMPLETE

The art auction was a great success! When she visited us in class for the symposium, I think Casey said they had made something around $13,000, and were still adding up. Not having been before, I was amazed by the turnout and sheer size of the whole thing. There was tons of art all over the walls, on the floor, on tables, and everywhere else you can imagine, and people were bidding way higher than I would’ve imagined.



Setting up for the auction, it didn’t seem plausible that the huge warehouse would be filled to capacity. However, by the time there was a band, merchandise table, and all the sculptural art standing in the room, there was just barely enough room to walk around without bumping into someone. The kids corner was pretty packed Sunday night as well, more so than on Friday night from what I heard (because I wasn’t able to attend Saturday, thanks to work).



It was also fun to watch my piece for bids. Though it only got three bids, and two of them can be attributed to my mom and girlfriend, it was still fun. Sold for a total of $27.00! I also enjoyed seeing my classmates auction pieces get bid on, some of them by my parents, who came out to support the cause and ended up bidding on a lot of stuff (none of which they won, however).



Overall, it was a lot of fun; it was cool to be there and see my art up on the wall and everything, but it was also fun because I got to see how all the hard work our class and all the BICAS employers and other people helping paid off to result in a really successful event for BICAS




On a side note, the symposium went well too! I made some tie-dye towels, a Christmas card, designed a bottle cap, and shared our group’s work with the class and Casey. It was also neat hearing about all my classmates' experiences and reflections, everyone was pretty pleased with their workshops and activity with BICAS.

BICAS Auction!!

Overall, the auction was a huge success! I'm so happy that we were able to enjoy ourselves at the auction after weeks of preparation! It seemed as though everything was very organized. The location was at the Whistlestop which was extremely close to BICAS. Upon entering, people were greeted and welcomed into the auction. Immediately, visitors could purchase small gift items or grab a snack to eat. I was very excited to see everyone from class there participating in one way or another. My group's beautiful piece was placed in a section near the kid's corner. I was constantly checking our bid, and we actually got it to sell for $50!One of the most interesting pieces that I saw was the chihuahua made out of metal pieces. It was actually auctioned off for $1250! I was very surprised at how high some of these biddings went, and especially how beautiful each of them were. Our class had some of the most unique and beautiful works of arts I have seen!

On Sunday, it was the second day of the auction and the actually bidding day. I helped with the tallying in the end, marking the final bids on each of the sheets. Sadly I was not able to purchase any of the items that I was interested in. I am very hopeful that next year will be a luckier turnout in my bidding war.One of my favorite parts of the entire event were the entertainers. I loved the acrobats and their skits. They brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the event, and it was evident that everyone was enjoying the show!

I am very glad that I was able to attend this event. I will definitely be returning the upcoming years to support local art. Overall this was a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I was a part of it! :)

WOW!!!

WOW!!!

Through out this entire semester we have been helping set up for the BICAS Annual Auction by making personal art pieces, helping advertise, and hosting workshops. i would just like to say that i really enjoyed helping out and creating several pieces. our groups art piece which was a board with bottle caps glued to it forming the negative space of a bike went for 50 dollars and my personal piece went for 60 dollars. i created a little side table out of an old bike rim and may i say it feel great knowing someone liked what i made. i am glad i had this experience because it showed me what i could do for the community through art.

Art Auction and fall semester a success!!

The art auction was awesome! I had no idea it was gonna be like that! And by like that I mean awesome! Of course I assumed it would be a pretty cool, fun, little event but the house was packed. Not to mention the amazing building it was held in. The whistle stop depot is one of the coolest buildings in tucson.

I was also surprised to see the amount and quality of the artwork that was made. It was much better and more abundant then I had imagined. BICAS did it the right way with live performances, great food, and a fun artsy atmosphere.

The first night of the event was interesting it was basically a calm before the storm sort of thing. a come look at the work so you know what you want bid crazily for tomorrow night. Don't get me wrong this chihuahua sculpture is fantastic but I'm not sure its worth $1250. Either way the money goes to a great cause so I guess it is worth it.

I worked the Kids Corner with help from a few of my other class mates and this turned out to be, the only thing, exactly what I had imagined. This is not to say I didn't enjoy myself with the children our help wasn't exactly needed. But my zombie piece was hung in the Kids Corner on one of the drawing walls for the little kids. Also the two pieces my roommate donated looked pretty sweet on one of the north walls.

All in all I had a great time working the art auction it was a great and fun learning experience and will almost definitely be back next year.

An Event for Everyone!

Although I was not sure what task I would be assigned to complete in order to get the incredible venue for the BICAS Art Auction ready for the preview party, I came armed with boots, jacket, gloves, and a scarf. I was excited and ready to tackle any project that needed to be completed.

When Jay Reyes and I arrived, Casey asked us to team up with Angie Zimmerman and Megan Howe. Angie and Megan had begun to prepare roughly 40 prints for the Velociprints display along the freestanding wall on the east side of the venue (next to where the band played). Jay and I catalogued the prints and made bid sheets for each one. After that task was complete, we worked with Megan to hang the prints. Megan rigged an ingenious hanging system based on strategically placed knots and lots and lots of twine. After the hanging structure was put in place, Jay and I were asked to curate the show. Jay has wonderful experience in the museum field and I have experience hanging shows in a non-profit gallery that I interned with in San Francisco. I prepped the pieces with clips and hooks while Jay began coordinating prints based on an eclectic, yet cohesive color scheme.

After a total of 5 hours, the hanging process was complete. We were pleased with the results, but surprised that the process was so time consuming! After going home for a quick lunch break, we returned for the pre-auction party. The venue looked so gorgeous with all of its twinkle lights (great job to all those who worked on hanging Christmas lights!)! Inside, the prints looked beautiful and well-displayed.

The night of the auction, Jay and I returned to bid on some of the prints that we spent so much time with. In hanging all of the pieces, we were bound to fall in love with a few! Unfortunately, when the night came to a close, we were outbid. However, that definitely did not spoil the night. It was great to walk around the space and answer questions for visitors. All of the helpful U of A students were recognizable thanks to our name-tags and fashionable corsages! Also, it was exciting to see my "Ride Like the Wind" painting receive a few bids!

I was very excited to see so many people attend the auction. By 8pm, you could hardly walk through the space because it was so packed! I especially loved that it was truly a family-friendly event. I believe that children should grow with the influence of art as a part of their lives; therefore, it was heartwarming to see so many parents engaging in a fun arts event with their young children. The performers, specifically "The Wonderfuls," were such a great addition to the event! All of the kids loved their performance and could not stop laughing at the slap-stick comedy.

Although this was my first BICAS auction, I am confident that it will not be my last. I had a fantastic time preparing and attending the event!

Hard to imagine so much floor space after what we experienced Sunday night!

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday at Whistle Stop helping with installations, setting up the children's corner with Katie, bringing supplies from BICAS to the gallery, sweeping, organizing bid sheets, unloading cars, greeting people as they arrived, and more.

I also shivered a lot!

It was so cold!

I think the entry way into Whistle Stop Gallery looked dramatic with the lighting and those incredible doors! They really set the mood.

Capturing and Sharing Ideas

For the ARE 520 Symposium  last Tursday I created this movie about my project. Overall, I thought the symposium was very interesting! I loved hearing about everyone's projects.