Going once. Going twice. Sold. Attendees of the Wildling Museum’s 20th anniversary virtual fundraiser, slated to take place on Friday, Oct. 16, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., can look forward to bidding in a live auction without even leaving their house.
“We’re particularly excited about this new virtual event platform because it will allow us to reach museum friends and supporters far and wide from the comfort of their home,” said Lauren Sharp, assistant director of the Wildling Museum. “And there is no cost to attend, so we hope that we’ll be able to welcome more attendees than we have at our past in-person fundraisers.”
Emcee and auctioneer Jim Farnum will host the virtual festivities and guide participants of the live auction. Stacey Otte-Demangate, executive director of the Wildling, described Farnum, who has worked for past events at the museum, as “a wonderful artist in his own right.”
“He knows so many of our supporters and has just the right blend of humor and moxie to help tease open their pocketbooks,” Otte-Demangate said. “He just does an incredible job.”
Aside from the live auction, the Wildling Museum is also hosting a multi-day silent auction, which the public can browse or bid in at any time between Friday, Oct. 9, and Friday, Oct. 16.
“We are excited by the diversity of live- and silent-auction items and the generosity of their donors,” Otte-Demangate said.
Items featured in the Wildling Museum’s auctions will range from a variety of paintings, jewelry, and multimedia art, including works by Dick Smith, Julie Mock, Kevin Gleason, Ivanie Finsvik, Renee Kelleher, and Katherine Greer.
Attendees can also bid for several vacation getaway packages, with venues including the historic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo and the Fog Catcher Inn in Cambria, as well as wine tasting and dining packages with Harmony Cellars, Linn’s Restaurant, and other businesses.
Proceeds raised during the fundraiser, up to $15,000, will be matched by donor Kate Godfrey, a longtime supporter and board member of the Wildling Museum.
“She has done matching challenges before, and we do find that many of our donors can be very motivated by challenges,” Otte-Demangate said.
Another feature of the virtual fundraiser will be a video tour of the Wildling Museum’s celebratory art exhibition, 20/20: A Retrospective. The exhibit is composed of 20 different works of art, each selected from a different show from a different year of the museum’s existence.
“About half are artworks in our permanent collection, but 10 are loans from either the artists themselves or their lucky collectors,” Otte-Demangate said.
In celebrating the Wildling Museum’s 20th anniversary, the virtual fundraiser event will also include special tributes from guest speakers.
“Given our 20th anniversary, we’ve invited some supporters to share their thoughts about the Wildling,” Otte-Demangate said. “We are very grateful to Congressman Salud Carbajal and Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann for helping us to celebrate this milestone. Two of our dedicated volunteers have recorded greetings, as have some longtime members who live in Long Beach, plus several artists.”
While the Wildling Museum remains closed until further notice, Otte-Demangate is looking forward to the day it can reopen safely.
“The first few weeks will be for our members—and we’re so grateful to them for sticking with us through this crazy time,” Otte-Demangate said. “And then we will open to the public after that, but probably with slightly reduced hours because of all the new protocols we have to follow.”
Bid for Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood’s attention at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 1-8, 2020.