The Arrowmont Art for Art's Sake Auction

is scheduled for Thursday, June 24. Today I packaged and mailed two silver bracelets to donate to the school to be auctioned either in June or in the September event. If they'd sell them both in June, I'd make more for the fall auction. Proceeds from the auctions benefit the Arrowmont scholarship fund and allow students that might otherwise not be able to afford the expense, to take courses during the year.

Now, here's the deal. I live on a very tight budget and I really cannot contribute as much cash as I would like to Arrowmont's fundraising efforts. Even with the price of silver as high as it is, however, I can afford to purchase several ounces of silver wire and a solid sterling clasp - and that's what I did. I combined the new silver wire with a couple of ounces that I had on hand and made the two bracelets in the photograph above. I have invested a total of about one hundred thirty dollars in the two pieces, and I expect that they will bring around two hundred dollars apiece or a total of four hundred dollars. I think donating a high-quality piece of fine craft or art is an excellent way to magnify your charitable gift to Arrowmont.

Last summer in Elizabeth Barton's dyeing for art quilts class lots of the students gave a piece of hand-dyed fabric for the auction held at the end of the week. So many students were generous that we made two packets of maybe six quarter yards of beautifully colored cotton, tied them with raffia and took them to Karen Green's office. Whoever won the bid on that fabric got a wonderful addition to a quilt and much more than she might have expected.

I encourage every instructor to share a small or large piece of work with Arrowmont, and I think the students should consider a gift from their classes as well. A collection of polymer clay or ceramic beads could be strung as a necklace; watercolorists can turn a tiny sketch into a greeting card; woodworkers' miniatures can be hung as holiday ornaments. Every piece counts, and every piece is grander when laid out on the evening of the auction. Finally the joy of giving may be the best part of all; for each item won at auction there are three winners: Arrowmont wins the proceeds, the purchaser wins a piece of art and the artist gets the marketing value and the happiness and pride of having contributed to our worthy cause.

Keep watching the Arrowmont website, where some of the auction items will be displayed in the next week or so. And bid generously for a piece that you'd like to have!