Silent Auction Returns To the National Arts and Crafts Conference
by Bruce Johnson
It has become one of the most anticipated features of the National Arts and Crafts Conference.
The silent auction at the National Arts and Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, February 22, 2014. Photo by Ray Stubblebine
Started nearly 15 years ago, the Silent Auction at the Grove Park Inn continues to benefit the non-profit Arts and Crafts Research Fund. This year’s auction will be held Friday, February 17, and Saturday, February 18, adjacent to the antiques show in the Vanderbilt Wing.
The auction is expected to again showcase more than 70 items, offering a variety of works donated by antiques dealers, contemporary craftspeople, and loyal collectors.
A pair of Roycroft candlesticks donated by M. Freedman.
An Ephraim vase and a copper bat bowl donated by J. Hartland.
The non-profit Arts and Crafts Research Fund (ACRF) has enabled researchers and writers to complete their educational projects, sharing their new discoveries with collectors through magazine articles, seminars, documentaries, and books. In addition, the ACRF has contributed to educational projects at the Roycroft Campus, the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, and the Stickley House in Syracuse, as well as helping in the completion of the film documentary “Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman.”
Among the authors whose recent projects have been funded by the ACRF are Rosalie Berberian, Jill Thomas-Clark, Kitty Turgeon, Michael McCracken, Robert Rust, Marilee Meyer, Heather Stivison, Jon Kornacki, and Richard Mohr.
Two of 11 pieces of art pottery donated by Barbara Gerr and Arnie Small.
“I recognized years ago,” noted founder Bruce Johnson, “that Arts and Crafts researchers and writers seldom profit financially from their projects. Nevertheless, they use their own money to pay for travel expenses and photography critical to their work. Collectors benefit from the information they discover and share, so it only seemed appropriate that we find a way to help offset some of those expenses.”
“Every collector has in their home something hidden away in a box, closet, or bookcase. We can help find a new collector excited about displaying it proudly in their home, if only the item were to be donated to the Silent Auction. At the same time, everyone involved benefits from the new research awaiting publication.”
Making a donation is as simple as sending an email to Bruce Johnson ([email protected]) describing your tax-deductible donation. You can then either send it ahead to him at the address below or bring it with you to the Grove Park Inn.
Then come enjoy the excitement of the final auction countdown!
Arts and Crafts Research Fund
% Bruce Johnson
25 Upper Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732