Collectors, philanthropists and artists raised $1.175 million at the 35th Annual Pilchuck Glass School Auction, held at The Westin Seattle, October 18, 2013. Proceeds from the event will benefit Pilchuck’s glass education and artist residency programs.
More than 350 works of art were contributed by noted and emerging local, national and international artists. The success of the event was made possible by 150 volunteers, 41 sponsors and over 260 donating artists.
Over the past forty-two years, Pilchuck has educated thousands of artists and played a crucial role in the development and evolution of both studio and contemporary glass.
This year the silent auction was available again exclusively on electronic devices, powered GiveSmart. Bidding opened one week before the auction and was available to auction attendees and remote bidders.
Following the close of the silent auction, Friday evening, Chaotic Noise Marching Band Corp entered the grand ballroom, entertaining the crowd and drawing them in for the start of the Live auction.
Among the highlights of the sixty-two-item live auction was Young Maiko by Karen LaMonte, selling for $60,000, the highest bid of the evening. The work by LaMonte is part of a recent body of work inspired by her study of the kimono during a residency in Kyoto, Japan. Other notable sales include Fuji by the Italian maestro, Lino Tagliapietra, selling for $57,000 and Lill Blues by Ann Wölff, which sold for $35,000.
Raven Skyriver, a local Seattle artist brought his own piece, Dive, to the stage, energizing the crowd. Valued at $10,900, Dive sold for $18,500. Mark Zirpel’s work, Magnolia, valued at $12,000, went for $15,000.
New this year to the auction was a jewelry section, featuring work by Dolores Barrett, Hannelore Gabriel, Sarah Loertscher, Julie Conway, and Alex McDermott amongst others. Other donating artists include Dale Chihuly, Dante Marioni, Fred Wilson, Kiki Smith, Cappy Thompson and Dick Weiss, Davide Salvadore, April Surgent, Richard Whiteley, and Pilchuck’s new artistic director, Tina Aufiero.
The auction preview, Pilchuck on Display: an Exhibition of International Glass was held the night before the auction, Thursday, October 17. This free event attracted more than 500 guests and included tours of the exhibition and a raffle to win a 2013 auction centerpiece, designed by Lynn Everett Read. The week’s events were complemented by the Auction Tour, a well-established four-day tour of area artist studios and private art collections.
Pilchuck Glass School is supported in part by: Art Works, THE PAUL G. ALLEN FAMILY FOUNDATION, The Artsfund Foundation, Corning Incorporated Foundation, and the Jean K. LaFromboise Foundation
Special support for the 35th Annual Auction Gala provided by: The Westin Seattle, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Imagine Color Services, KP Corp, Studio Matthews, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and Theo Chocolate.
About Pilchuck
Founded in 1971, by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg (1916-2002), Pilchuck is an internationally recognized school that offers an in-depth education in glass and attracts artists from all over the world. The school is located fifty miles north of Seattle, Washington in the forested foothills of the Cascade Range, overlooking Puget Sound. Pilchuck’s mission is to inspire creativity and build a thriving artistic community where all program participants–whether student, instructor, artist in residence, intern, assistant, or staff member–are transformed by their experience.