| p>I'm going to make a bold statement: Avoid selling | | | | supporting local talented artists. |
| traditional art in your live auction, unless you are an | | | | Ask for a piece with an achievable price point for |
| exclusive art auction. | | | | your audience. |
| Traditional art pieces are items like sculptures, | | | | An artist might regularly sell his pieces for $10,000, |
| paintings, drawings, and mixed media which are | | | | but if your audience is a $2000 top-end crowd, |
| produced by a professional artist who makes his or | | | | you're going to have a lot of work ahead of you to |
| her living from selling artwork - are risky auction | | | | get that piece to sell close to value. Give the artist a |
| items for the standard, non-art benefit auction. | | | | price range of what your audience typically spends |
| Art is too subjective. What I like, you don't. What | | | | on various items so he can select something |
| fits my home decor, doesn't match yours. Art has | | | | appropriate. |
| limited appeal, and the goes against the most general | | | | Never put art in the live auction just because the |
| of fundraising auction strategies which is to select | | | | artist suggests you should. |
| auction items with broad appeal. | | | | Artists want to protect their reputation. They don't |
| Are there exceptions? Of course! | | | | want to sell a piece for less than a given price |
| Your school can sell artwork made by the children. | | | | because they are afraid it will affect the value of |
| And an arts organization whose entire focus is on art | | | | their other artwork. Some make a donation with the |
| may have an art-loving and art-buying crowd | | | | stipulation that the item can't sell unless it reaches a |
| (although even art auctions can be tweaked). | | | | given price. |
| Despite best intentions, sometimes art is included in | | | | On the flip side, your charity isn't concerned about |
| the live auction. Perhaps a respected donor insists | | | | the artist's reputation. You merely want the money |
| that you sell her artwork, or a renegade Board | | | | to support your cause! |
| member has a best friend who happens to be a | | | | If you are offered a piece of art with this stipulation, |
| "great" artist. What do you do then? | | | | you might be better off to decline the donation |
| Consider these auction tips: | | | | because the piece might never sell. |
| Well-known local artists will sell better than non-local | | | | Earlier this year I worked an auction where the same |
| artists. | | | | piece of art has been for sale three times in a silent |
| An Orville Bulman reproduction had aggressive bidding | | | | auction! No one would buy it for the mandated price. |
| activity in Palm Beach, FL fundraiser. A Sara Linda | | | | The print has become a ball-and-chain donation. The |
| Poly landscape sold immediately at the highest price | | | | event manager is now the responsible agent for the |
| point available in Arlington, VA. These | | | | item, moving it from storage to venue each year, |
| local-to-the-area artists enjoyed great sales, but | | | | and taking responsibility for protecting it from |
| switch these two pieces of art to the other location | | | | damage. The audience has seen that same print for |
| and watch the bidding suffer. Your guests will enjoy | | | | three years in a row. Can we say, "BORRRRing! |