Donations to auctions

[Marty]

Several of us WGers donated work to the Liberty Museum (Philadelphia) auction.
Leaving aside the question of supporting worthy causes, I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback from that auction. Did anyone from the board go? Was it well attended? Was the glass well received? What generated the most interest? Did prices generally exceed wholesale?

I got a copy of the catalog in the mail yesterday, along with the name and address of the couple who bought my piece, and the price they paid. Just barely over the wholesale price. Is this the name of the game? A chance for collectors to pick up work (especially by less-well-known artists) on the cheap? Am I being naive about the whole thing or am I just pissed that there was no bidding war to drive the value of my work into the Chihulisphere?

There's a quid-pro-quo about this donation business: I give you my work, you give me exposure (which, it's hoped, will lead to great things for my reputation and sales). If the exposure is questionable, ie. low turnout, wrong crowd, too many pieces in the auction, am I better off just writing a check to support the organization rather than seeing my work devalued, as it were, by low (or no) bids at a charity auction? Especially since all I can claim on my tax return is cost of goods!

And shall I send a lesser piece next time, if I decide to support them again?

Your thoughts, fellow fusers?

signed, somewhat petulantly,
Used-to-be-Famous Marty

[Tony Smith]

Marty,

I've often wondered what the allure was for glass artists to donate their valuable work to these auctions. From a distance, it appeared that if donations to an auction were well solicited, then artists were willing to give regardless of their affiliation or knowledge of the museum. I had never heard of the liberty museum before hearing that artists from our community were donating their pieces to this "worthy" cause. So when I asked about it, I heard that some notable artists had donated... is that sufficient reason to donate your beautiful glass and hard work to this organization? I think I would need to have a greater connection than that before I would consider handing over a piece to an unknown organization regardless of who else might be donating.

Tony

[Gale aka artistefem]

Yup - there are some big names who donate to this auction.

One could surmise that by showing/auctioning with this stellar well known group, the percieved value of your work will rise. Probably important to research just how well is this auction advertised and to whom. Also, how large and who is the contingent of attending collectors and is it possible to ask for a reserve price much greater than your wholesale price?

If you view this as mostly a PR opportunity, then it would fall into the catagory of one more place to be seen in the quest for famous-osity.

When you're trying to become a "known artist" (or even just advertising socks for sale) you have to remain in the publics eye on a consistant basis in order to penetrate their buying/collecting consciousness. It seems the artists most successful at creating a media blitz so their work is being seen everywhere, simultaneously - rise to top quickly. Where -oh where is my fairy godmother to pay for these advertising costs - LOL?

Like you Marty, I always question just how much pro bono work we have to do in order to get the desired result.

[Bert Weiss]

I sent off 4 sushi plates to the NH public TV auction yesterday. They were seconds that were actually perfectly good except for a little overhang on the shelf that made little tabs stick up on one side. They are also a size that I don't normally sell to the public, only to the restaurant I make them for.

If they were really second quality, I might not have sent them, but they look and feel good to me. I'll get TV exposure and have done a good thing for public TV. The irony of course is that I don't get that station on my home antenna.

This is very different than the type of auction that you are writing about. This has nothing to do with prestige, only publicity and charity. I also donate these to other various local causes that do auctions.

[Doug Randall]

Marty...... this is a concern that has come up for me in the last couple of years. I often imagine the feeling of seeing one of my nice pieces of work walking out the door at a bargin basement price. So this work we make always sells well at the set retail price and now, because the organization has focused on using its energy to get works by famous artists more so than bringing in people that are informed (and wealthy) buyers, or creating some sort of advertising that would enhance the artists career, you've basically just given your work away for little or no reason.

Ive toned down my donations considerably and am only giving to tried and true org's that will bring benifit to myself as much as it does their cause.

Recently a piece of mine went for under wholesale at a local benifit. At our table was a well known gallery owner/collector that had come just for the purpose of bargin hunting. At the time, I was happywith the thought that my work would be finding a home in a place where it would be shown to the public, but in retrospect, I now see it all differently. I'll sell the work for the price it was intended to sell at....and donate cash instead.

Just my take on it......Doug

[Claudia Whitten]

Marty,
I have seen auctions go both ways. Some people go to support the cause and bid it up. Others go to auctions looking for a bargin. There seems to be a general feeling at the ones I know, as to if it's for support or for bargin. Research of event will help you to know which way the general atmosphere of the event is going. Maybe talking to an artist who has particpated in the pass.
The two big ones I donated to last year I saw one of each. Luckily for me the one where people were looking for the bargins mine went for retail.I was glad because I sell in a gallery in that town. I was nervous watching the bidding and was glad mine did okay. Next year I will rethink what I donate and maybe donate something smaller. The case with this auction was that they had so many items donated and people were used to getting bargins. There were only about 5 pieces that brought good prices. I was a new artist donating. They even made me speak about my bowl, which may have helped sales.
I think we should check out the events before we donate...Claudia

[Terry Ow-Wing]

From my experience it is great work at a bargain price. Mostly I do small donations - so that the bite wont be hard - or pieces that I no longer sell. Even watching the big art auction of a local public TV station the prices are minimal at best and I end up feeling depressed for the artist that made the donation. So I only donate to organization that I have a very personal contact and I don't have any other expectations beyond that.

[Deb Libby]

I'm with Doug .... I now give cash donations to most of my chosen charities. I like the auctions (like NH Public Television, which Bert mentioned, and one for the Boys/Girls Club) where they start the auction off by stating "the starting bid on this item is" and you've told them what the bottom line should be. I have always given a 20% off retail as a starting bid and the bidding has always resulted in an over retail price. If I believe strongly in a cause and they aren't willing to auction in this manner, I'd rather just give them cash.

[Brian and Jenny Blanthorn]

Several of us WGers donated work to the Liberty Museum (Philadelphia) auction.
Leaving aside the question of supporting worthy causes, I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback from that auction. Did anyone from the board go? Was it well attended? Was the glass well received? What generated the most interest? Did prices generally exceed wholesale?

I got a copy of the catalog in the mail yesterday, along with the name and address of the couple who bought my piece, and the price they paid. Just barely over the wholesale price. Is this the name of the game? A chance for collectors to pick up work (especially by less-well-known artists) on the cheap? Am I being naive about the whole thing or am I just pissed that there was no bidding war to drive the value of my work into the Chihulisphere?

There's a quid-pro-quo about this donation business: I give you my work, you give me exposure (which, it's hoped, will lead to great things for my reputation and sales). If the exposure is questionable, ie. low turnout, wrong crowd, too many pieces in the auction, am I better off just writing a check to support the organization rather than seeing my work devalued, as it were, by low (or no) bids at a charity auction? Especially since all I can claim on my tax return is cost of goods!

And shall I send a lesser piece next time, if I decide to support them again?

Your thoughts, fellow fusers?

signed, somewhat petulantly,
Used-to-be-Famous Marty

Marty

Now is the time 2 give up yr Room habit

Clearly this has 'got out' n is seriously affectin yr Famousivity

I gave one of my pebbles retail value of £50.00

2 local Koi club as a raffle prize

U won the raffle U then got 2 choose a prize

This carried on till all prizes were left

Mine was the last peice 2 B chosen

Ie there was nothing else left

£ wise was the most expensive thing there

I thought that as the people R in2 patterns of Koi in a big way some very seroius about which pattern is better, they might appeciate my glass n support of the group

I wont B doing that again someting like a £3.00 box of chocks next time

So I think in the Famousivity stakes as u got as sale U still more Famous than me

Brian

[Phil Hoppes]

Marty,

I got my first gallery through a donation to a local charity. The director of that gallary just happened to be there and he felt my work was better than anything else there being displayed.

That being said, my piece too went for less than wholesale and I tend to think that my experience was the exception not the rule so to speak. I don't plan on donating to this charity in the future as it really is not a charity I normally support and on a personal basis I only donate money to charities and only to those that I know most of my $$ actually make it to the cause.

Phil

[Monica]

For local organizations I support, where the donation doesn't have to be artwork, I have donated a "private class taught in my studio". Usually this brings full auction price, and provides me with an alternative when I feel that the glass work won't bring full price. (because of audience, bargain hunting, etc). It has the added benefit of "teaching" at least one more member of the purchasing public that kiln formed glass is interesting and more sophisticated than it might appear initially.

I never formally looked into the tax situation, but it might even be a better deduction since it's a donated service vs donated art work.

[jim simmons]

where they start the auction off by stating "the starting bid on this item is" and you've told them what the bottom line should be. I have always given a 20% off retail as a starting bid and the bidding has always resulted in an over retail price. t.

I allways donate one of my drop vases to my Grandkids school anual fund raising auction, and this is also the way they conduct the bidding, and I have never been disapointed.

Jim

[Andrew]

I use to donate to auctions at our local art center. The last time I did so, one of my bowls got placed up on the stage between a a leaf blower and a donated Nordic trak. The bowl went for wholesale. After 5 years of giving to this auction, I did not receive one lead or even one follow-up call on my work.

Last year they called to ask for their usual donation and I dictated some terms - I wanted my name, business card and description displayed on the piece. In the program I wanted my name, business address and local gallery affiliations printed in bold. I wanted a name tag that identified me as a donating artist, and I wanted two free tickets so I could stuff myself with mini-quiches and bacon wrapped waterchestnuts. I argued that I was giving them an original work gratis and the least they could do was showcase the fact that I was a local artist whose work was available in other venues. I thought they should do that for all local artists (it is a small town, but we have an active arts community). They refused all of it and I passed on the donation.

I've become much more business oriented (for a number of reasons), and don't give anything away without getting a substantial return. I don't think that I was asking for the moon - just some recognition and a plate of unhealthy tidbits.

Most charities are wonderful organizations that do good work and you should feel good about supporting them . . . but I 've got bills, and new projects, and not enough time for every good cause . . .

aj

[sadiesjewels]

I seldom donate, but when I do it's to cause that I personally value and I accept that I may get nothing for it. A previous thread outlined the fact that donation for art could only be tax deductible at the material costs value ...

A recent donation of one of my pieces led me to getting into a local gallery (unfortunately only about 300 yards from the other gallery I am in) so that was a postive and good donation to my benefit and not just the charity's benefit.

Sadie

[Cheryl]

Hi Marty, thought I'd run a Lexis search for you -see if the auction at least garnered some ink. Running a search from 11/1 thru 12/1, I drew 1 article, and it was just a casual mention in a "come see philly" article. Am I missing the auction date?

[Cheryl]

I really question how seriously they take serious glass since the following was the press release they sent out about the event. As you'll see, it highlights a glass ... football. They did net $450k from the event.

Philadelphia Eagles Players Sign On' to Support Philadelphia's National Liberty Museum With One-of-a-Kind, Life-Sized Glass Football!

BODY:
WHAT: 24 Philadelphia Eagles players - including Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Todd Pinkston, Tra Thomas and James Thrash - lent their
signatures to a one-of-a-kind glass football to support
Philadelphia's National Liberty Museum!

This unique collector's item will be auctioned on September 20th
at the National Liberty Museum's annual benefit auction, called
"Glass Now."

WHEN: Signed glass football available to be photographed IMMEDIATELY!

WHERE: National Liberty Museum
321 Chestnut Street; Old City, Philadelphia

EDITORS: For digital image contact Amanda Hall at ahall@libertymuseum.org
Info:
http://www.libertymuseum.org/glassnowpr ... .asp?ID=42

DETAILS: NFL stars Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins and more than 20 other
Philadelphia Eagles players found a unique way to support
Philadelphia's National Liberty Museum. The players all signed
a one-of-a-kind glass football to be auctioned September 20th at the Wyndham Franklin in Philadelphia, at approximately 8:00 p.m.
Using a special technique, the signatures were etched
permanently into to full-sized glass replica!

[Cheryl]

Apparently they were showcasing a theme, the fragile art of freedom???

Philadelphia: The National Liberty Museum, which works to defuse violence and bigotry, reaped proceeds of $500,000 and a new piece of glass from its Glass Now auction Sept. 28 at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel. Museum president Robert Byers won the $7,000 bid for Mask, created by Miles Van Rensselaer, and donated the piece to the Chestnut Street museum for its "Heroes of Sept. 11" exhibit. The 28-by-13-inch fused and slumped plate-glass wall-hanging depicts a hero's face embedded in the American flag. Arlene Silvers led the gala attended by 600 people, who bid in live and silent auctions on 275 pieces of glass art.

[Dani]

I got a solicitation for this several years ago (remember I asked you about it, Marty?) and checked into it because folks like Steve Klein were on the donor list. Most of the feedback I got from the East coast wasn't terribly favorable so I decided to pass on making a donation. Donation is perhaps not the exactly perfect word.... my giving represents a price for future advertising.... name recognition and association with other names of note, whether a corporation, school, foundation, cause, or persons. The theory is that keeping your name out there in the right places and often will translate into sales and dollars. My experience is that it translates into lots of media publicity which is nice for the ego, but not necessarily moolah in the pocket which is even better.