Benefits & Auction

With the Work Center in full Summer Program swing, the 27th Annual Auction was a great success. Board Co-Chair Hatty Walker Fitts, along with Office Manager Amy O’Hara, coordinated the event, and Skinner auctioneer Stephen Fletcher inspired the crowd to keep up a spirited bidding well into the night. This year’s catalog boasted a variety of unusual items, with everything from a monoprint by poet Robert Pinsky to a pair of Robert Motherwell’s paint-splattered pants. Once again, the Artists’ Project and Monoprint Project pieces caused a lot of excitement. This year’s Artists’ Project, coordinated by Board member Judith Shahn, were small wooden cabinets that provided some interesting challenges for the artists, who, true to form, created some amazing pieces. Participating artists included Joel Janowitz, Bill Fitts, Selina Trieff, Bob Henry, Paul Bowen, and Peter Madden, with a joint effort from Michael and Gail Mazur. Board member Michael Mazur once again coordinated the Monoprint Project, with help from artist Bert Yarborough, bringing together a host of artists for a "marathon" weekend in July. This year’s project produced a collaborative effort by Jim Peters and Bert Yarborough, prints by Nancy Webb, Maryland Institute Fellow Ormond White, FAWC Visual Arts Coordinator Maryalice Johnston, and Summer Program faculty Michael David among others. Nearly one hundred local businesses donated gift certificates for the silent auction and food for the buffet dinner. The hard work of the volunteers and the generosity of the community made both the Spring Benefit and the Auction fundraisers incredibly profitable events, raising close to $75,000.00.