Celebrating An Arts and Crafts Transformation: A Preview of Craftsman Live and the Craftsman Gala

by Kate Nixon

This article has been updated to include the link to the online catalog of the Craftsman Gala Silent Auction.

 

This week in lieu of one of Bruce’s Little Journeys, we decided to give our space to highlight a pair of virtual celebrations happening the night of October 24th, courtesy of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. We caught up with Executive Director Vonda Givens and she gave us a preview of both a free virtual event for the general public, Craftsman Live and the annual fundraiser gone virtual The Craftsman Gala.

 

This weekend, supporters of all ages can celebrate as The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms provides virtual celebrations with both an exclusive ticketed benefit event and a family-friendly Gala Pre-Party that is free to the public. The Gala’s red dragonfly motif represents the Stickley Museum’s period of transformation and rejuvenation with the addition of the brand new Education Center. In honor of the Gala’s red dragonfly theme, attendees can wear their favorite red outfit.

The virtual fun will start at 4:00 pm EDT with Craftsman Live, a family-friendly kickoff celebration that’s free to the public. “We wanted to include as many people as possible in these special events so Craftsman Live is free and available to anyone,” says Executive Director of the museum Vonda Givens. “Craftsman Live is a benefit for the museum, but also a way to get to know us and what we do.” The free event will include live jazz music by the Aubrey Anne Trio, a live look at the spotlighted collections featured at the Stickley Museum, a live demonstration of making a cocktail, and a demonstration of Craftsman Kids, a family-friendly crafting session. Party goers will also have the ability to bid on the evening’s special “Reverse Auction.”

To participate in Craftsman Live, click here to visit the Craftsman Live page on the Stickley Museum’s website and fill out the RSVP form at the bottom of the page.

 

 

 

At 6:30 PM EDT, the Craftsman Gala – the annual fundraiser for The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms – will be held over Zoom and the thrills of the exclusive VIP experience will be presented virtually. Attendees can expect to see a diverse array of new experiences, including a live “Reverse Auction” led by special guest auctioneer John Walcher from Toomey & Co Auctioneers, an opportunity to win event “door” prizes, and finally, be among the first to see the virtual Grand Opening of the museum’s new Education Center, with an exclusive live-streamed tour hosted by Givens and the museum’s Director of Collections and Preservation Jonathan Clancy.

For more on the silent auction, please see our Collector’s Guide article. To see the catalog of items, click here to be directed to the auction page on the Stickley Museum’s website.

 

 

 

“[The Gala] includes exclusive activities blended with the friendly camaraderie at the heart of this annual event,” says Givens. “I’m looking forward to giving a live-streamed tour of the building during the Craftsman Gala and I hope you’ll celebrate all things Stickley.” The tour in particular will focus on the collections storage and the new Stickley library inside.

Net proceeds from both events benefit the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms and help us maintain regular operations like preservation activities, collections care, and educational programming – this year, support means something unique. “2020 has been a difficult year for the museum, as it has been for many people and non-profits,” says Givens. Doors to the museum were closed in March, but immediately began offering virtual classes over Zoom as an alternative. This past August, another blow was sent in the form of a tropical storm, which severely damaged one of the buildings on the campus. “With the help of insurance, we will rebuild, but it is a challenge. We are a resilient organization, but we do face a lot of uncertainty. We are grateful for the support of the Arts and Crafts community.”

 

For more information on how you can be involved or participate in the Gala, please click here to visit the Gala page on the Stickley Museum’s website.

In order to bid on the Craftsman Gala Silent Auction, click here to see the catalog of items up for bid.