Honoring it’s 150th Anniversary, the nation’s only independent public college of art and design raises funds to continue its legacy of providing exceptional, affordable art and design education

Boston, MA – March 9, 2023 –  Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is excited to announce it will host its 34th MassArt Auction on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 6:30 PM. A featured event within the College’s celebration of its 150th Anniversary, MassArt will welcome guests to the Design and Media Center on campus for the Live Auction, which will be conducted by auctioneer Marie Keep (Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Bonhams Skinner) simultaneously in-person and virtually on the auction platform Bidsquare. Both the Live and Silent Auctions will be posted on Bidsquare and open for a two-week period of bidding, starting on March 20, 2023. All of the auction artwork will be installed and the exhibition available to view on campus by appointment. From March 20–March 31, Silent Auction items will be available for outright purchase through Bidsquare’s “Buy Now” option at 150% of value.

As the nation’s only independent public college of art and design, MassArt is dedicated to providing an exceptional and affordable education for the next generation of artists, designers, and educators. The proceeds of the MassArt Auction provide vital scholarship aid and academic program support for deserving students, which make continued access to a renowned art and design education possible. The MassArt Auction is the College’s largest fundraising event of the year, having raised over $1 million dollars for the last eight consecutive years. A special fundraising component of the Auction called “Raise Your Paddle” benefits MassArt’s Finish Line Fund, which supports graduating seniors who have exhausted their financial resources and are in jeopardy of not crossing the stage at Commencement due to outstanding tuition fees. Since it began in 2020, the fund has helped nearly 50 seniors finish their education and will continue this year with the goal of supporting even more students.

The 34th MassArt Auction will feature 370 lots in a variety of media, representing emerging to internationally renowned artists. Among the lots in the Live Auction are Sean Flood’s large-scale cityscape painting LIC Out the Window; the mixed media piece Progress vs. Perfection representing artist Jane Maxwell‘s deep fascination with pop culture and female empowerment; a biomorphic necklace of a whale suspended in a wave by jeweler and MassArt faculty member Emily Cobb; South Korean artist Woomin Kim’s textile piece Lighting Store; a three-dimensional architectural sculpture by renowned artist Julian Opie; as well as a sculptural clock by MassArt alumna Caitlin Duenneiber (BFA ‘09).

The 34th Auction Committee is co-chaired by Daren Bascome (‘93 BFA Graphic Design, MassArt Trustee, and Founder of Proverb brand agency) and Elizabeth Lowrey (‘19 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, MassArt Foundation Board Member, and Principal and Director of Interior Architecture at Elkus Manfredi Architects). The Auction Committee selected the artwork through a jury process from over 1,400 submissions. Auction artists have the choice of contributing 50% or 100% of the sale to MassArt.
 

FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
 

LIVE AUCTION | DESIGN AND MEDIA CENTER, MASSART

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2023 AT 6:30 PM
Live Auction with Auctioneer Marie Keep, Senior Vice President & Managing Director at Bonhams Skinner. The event begins at 6:30 PM, and the Live Auction begins at 8:00 PM both in-person and online on Bidsquare.
 

PUBLIC PREVIEW DAYS | DESIGN AND MEDIA CENTER, MASSART

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 – THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023
Both the Live and Silent Auctions will be posted on Bidsquare and open for a two-week period of bidding, starting on March 20th. All of the Auction artwork will be installed and the exhibition available to view on campus.
 

Public Preview Days – Visitation Schedule

Viewings available by appointment. Contact auction@massart.edu to schedule an appointment.

Monday, 3/20, and 3/27:  3:00-7:00 PM
Tuesday, 3/21, and 3/28: 3:00–7:00 PM
Thursday, 3/23, and 3/30: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Friday, 3/24: 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Saturday, 3/25:  2:00–6:00 PM
Sunday, 3/26: 2:00–6:00 PM

For additional information, visit massartauction.org and follow MassArt on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Get the latest Auction updates by following and tagging #massartauction.

Images: Left: Sean Flood, LIC Out The Window, 2017. Oil on canvas 48″ x 48”; Center: Jane Maxwell, Progress vs. Perfection, 2023. Mixed media with plexiglass. 77″ x 23.5″ x 2”; Right: Emily Cobb, Become Undone: The Whale, 2016. Nylon, acrylic neckpiece. 11.5″ x 9.5″ x 12.5″. All images courtesy of the artists and Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

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ABOUT MASSART

Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) is a public, independent institution that prepares artists, designers, and educators to shape communities, economies, and cultures for the common good. Since 1873, MassArt has built a legacy of leadership as the first freestanding public college of art and design in the country, and the nation’s first art school to grant a degree. MassArt offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, and art education, taught by world-class faculty.