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From Laguna Art Museum with Love
By Lauren Lloyd/Special to LAist
Celebrating Valentine’s Day but still racking your brain for a romantic and unique gift? Laguna Art Museum’s love-inspired auction this Saturday, Feb. 12, is the perfect event to find that special something for that special someone while supporting California artists and the museum. Boasting a reformatted agenda and complimentary food and drinks, the auction promises a “fun party” atmosphere, “punctuated with a lot more entertainment,” according to Bolton Colburn, museum director. Doors open at 6 pm; festivities continue until 10 pm.
To accommodate the 108 works displayed,two auctions will transpire to maintain audience engagement. Led for the first time by fundraising auctioneer Jim Nye, a fast-paced live auction will occur for no longer than 90 minutes, followed by a mellower silent auction.
Guests will enjoy beverages sponsored by Columbia Crest and Ketel One Vodka as well as decadent cuisine provided by three local restaurants - Watermarc, Pelican Hill and Maro Wood Grill. Be sure to leave room for dessert, catered by Simply Sweet Cakery. Adding to the entertainment are live music by Timur Duel, a live art performance by AutoBody and flower arrangements by Roger’s Garden.
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Annually the museum hosts a themed auction, and having been involved for the past 25 years, Colburn is especially excited for this year’s event. Auctions have been staff-driven for the past five years, as opposed to headed by a committee like in the previous years. “This year we got a committee of three pretty remarkable people together,” says Colburn. Glancing over a calendar, the committee observed the proximity of the event to Valentine’s Day and agreed that the holiday’s romantic theme must be incorporated. Connecting with George Herms, an eminent assemblage artist who’d participated in a summer exhibition at the museum, they settled on the theme, “LOVE.” Appropriate for multiple reasons, the theme also references Herms’ iconic signature - stamping the four letters of “LOVE” in the four corners of his works. One of his creations, a gorgeous violin case, is up for grabs on Saturday.
The auction features a range of artists, from revered local figures to those with international reputations, such as Herms. Stylistically, there is certainly something for everyone. With 180 artists and an expected 250-300 guests, perhaps all works will sell. “We’ve never sold all of the pieces. That would be a great thing,” laughs Colburn. But typically about 60% of the pieces do sell, and the proceeds support the museum’s education and exhibition programs. In addition, artists have the option to receive up to 30% of the proceeds from their sold works, which is rare in the art community. The museum is incredibly respectful to their artists and regards pure donations from the artists as unfair.
Preview week is happening now through Feb. 11. Interested individuals are invited to visit the museum between the hours of 11am-5pm daily to view the to-be-auctioned pieces. The online gallery is also available for your pre-auction viewing pleasure. If you happen to miss Saturday’s event, you may purchase unsold artworks at the museum’s public sale on Sunday, Feb. 13, from 11am-3pm.
Tickets: $150 ($125 members)
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