Art sale, auction raise money for SoFA Gallery

Hoosiers who like to avoid crowded strip malls and full parking lots during the holiday shopping season might try visiting the SoFA Gallery this week.

The SoFA Gallery’s Holiday Art Sale and Auction, starting today, is the gallery’s only fundraising event of the year. Gallery Director Betsy Stirratt said the money goes to general gallery operations, and there is no particular monetary goal. She said last year’s event raised about $7,000.

“If we make $7,000, I’ll be thrilled,” Stirratt said. “It’s not a massive amount of money, but that’s enough to pay for an exhibit here.”

Stirratt said she and the gallery staff started planning for the sale several months ago. They asked artists to donate pieces, which Stirratt said she was hesitant about because, as an artist herself, she often gets asked to give away art for nothing in return.

“For some reason, organizations think artists can just toss off a piece, bring it over and it doesn’t mean anything,” Stirratt said. “I have mixed feelings about asking people, but on the other hand, this is one way we can make money, and during the holidays is a good time to do it.”

While it might have been difficult for Stirratt to ask for free pieces, artists still wanted to support the gallery. Artist Megan Abajian works in public relations for the SoFA Gallery, and she decided to donate a few pieces to the sale because of the gallery’s previous help with her work.

“I believe in supporting organizations that supported me as an artist,” Abajian said. “Not only was the SoFA gallery available to me when I had my thesis show here, and not only working here have I learned a lot from them, but they brought in a lot of shows from the outside, so I’ve been able to see artists who wouldn’t be shown in Bloomington because it’s such a small community.”

The art sale and auction will feature a variety of pieces from students, faculty, local artists and donations from Friends of Art, which supports various programs within SoFA. There will also be a wide range of items, such as jewelry and paintings, and also a range of prices.

Local artist and SoFA alumnus Mark Rice said he is donating for the first time to the art sale because he likes the gallery’s management and organization. He was also realistic about the price of his painting.

“I like to keep it incredibly affordable so people can actually buy it,” Rice said.

In a tough economic time, Stirratt said she is a bit concerned about how the recession will affect art customers. Abajian also said she knows wallets are tight, but she plans to buy something because of the benefits art brings.

“It’s an investment,” Abajian said. “Instead of buying stocks, I’m buying a piece of art that I visually can take pleasure in and will hopefully accrue in value over the years.”