Annual Halloween Art Guild auction a scream
The USU Art Guild held its annual Halloween art auction in the Chase Fine Arts Center to Wednesday night.
Pieces normally selling for three times the price paid at the auction are donated by professionals and students to generate revenue for the art department, according Holland Larsen, a previous Art Guild president.
The auction is the guild’s main event and takes a lot of time and effort. They don’t receive funding from the university, so the art auction provides money for supplies and activities that will be used throughout the year, Larsen said.
Undergraduate artists, as well as graduate students, can donate their work in the same auction, she said, adding local artists are highly encouraged to donate their work because it helps boost the auction a lot.
Aspiring artists can submit their work regardless of whether or not they’re asked to, said Brandon Christensen, a senior studying drawing and painting. Christensen donated three paintings this year. To submit, the artist must show up ahead of time and get their piece tagged by a member of the guild.
“I donate my work because I know where all the money will go,” Christensen said. “Even though I won’t be here next semester, I like that the money from my piece will help the program to fund art supplies for different projects and field trips for art students and that’s important.”
Community members from Logan and Salt Lake make the trip to the university to bid on the pieces, she said. The event is successful each year because Logan provides a lot of support for the department. It is a way for members of the department, regardless of their emphases, to support each other, Larsen said.
“The event is important because our faculty members are artists as well as teachers,” Larsen said. “They don’t just teach about art, they actually create it and some even show it around the world. To have their work in the auction is huge for us.”
The guild brings in visiting artists and provides a forum for past students to meet up, said Ben Davis, current Art Guild president. The guild serves art student alumni and allows for a networking community where members can discuss job opportunities and sell their work as well as different types of art supplies.
“Money donated in the auction is used for things like field trips and art supplies,” Davis said. “It really just depends on what The Art Guild wants to spend it on.”
There are a number of interesting items donated each year. Not only can artists submit their work, but they can donate other things that might be useful to their peers as well, Larsen said.
“This year, we had a local artist donate a ton of gold-plated frames that would normally be highly expensive, but since they were donated in our auction, people can buy these frames at a price that’s affordable for them,” Larsen said. “We usually raise around $1,200 per auction and it all goes to support our cause. It’s really just a fun way to make money and support the art community.”
“It’s a time for us to earn money and come together because that doesn’t happen very often,” she said.
Email: Courtney Kearns
Twitter: @courtykearns