Rigaud artist Suzanne Caron checked out some of the 560 works of art being sold next week to benefit Le Nichoir. (Photothèque)
Art aficionados, collectors and those who just like to look at a pretty picture will have equal opportunity to buy original works of art next week during a unique fundraiser designed to keep people guessing.
The mystery surrounding the event, the Wildcard Art Sale, taking place along the Lachine Canal on August 21, is that patrons won’t know who created their miniature piece of art until after the sale is final.
All proceeds will help Le Nichoir, a Hudson based wild bird rehabilitation centre, build a new $1.2 million education and rehab centre near its current location.
And with 560 works submitted by 240 artists – some renowned national and international artists, as well as many local artists – the stakes are high.
Art works, which will all sell for the same price, $65, include original paintings, photographs and mixed media.
Lindsay D’Aoust, Wildcard Art Sale organizer and a Le Nichoir volunteer, said they choose $65 as the uniform price as that’s the average amount it costs to rehabilitate one bird and re-release it into the wild.
D'Aoust says the idea behind the sale is that patrons walk away with pieces of art they love while helping wildlife.
“People could end up buying pieces submitted by artists whose works usually go for several thousand dollars, or they could buy something that’s worth the price they paid for it,” she noted.
Idea born in London
According to D’Aoust, the concept for the sale is based on a similar model that’s successfully run (and generated millions of dollars in profits) for the past 16 years at the Royal College of Art, in London, England.
“It’s a huge success there,” D’Aoust said, adding, people in England line up a day before the event to be one of the early birds.
“We thought since it’s worked there so well, why not try it here.”
The format for next week’s show is simple: Artists were asked to submit 5-inch by 7-inch works that are signed only on the back.
Works, which could depict any subject of the artists’ choosing, had to be unframed and could not be matted. Preview
Last weekend, hundreds of people turned up at Galerie Ouest in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue for a free preview, where they were able to look at but not touch the more than 550 numbered works.
Like a giant guessing game, potential buyers tried to identify individual artistic styles or simply locate art that most appealed to them.
“All weekend we heard the same comments about what an incredible, eclectic collection it is,” D’Aoust said, adding, “We even had artists asking us how to contribute to the event next year.” Sale
D’Aoust says the sale will be a carefully controlled event. “It will only be open to people who purchase tickets ($35) in advance and we won’t be selling tickets at the door,” she said.
Once at the sale, people will be issued numbers from lowest to highest on a first-come-first-served basis. When the sale gets underway patrons will be called in groups of 20 to select the art they want to buy.
“So if you arrive early and get a low number, you get the best selection,” said D’Aoust, who thinks it should be fun to watch people discover whose art they purchased.
“It’s not just about trying to figure out who the best artists are, because all the art is lovely, it’s also about having a great evening and helping a great cause.”
Artists participating in the sale include award winning Montreal artists Michel Goulet and Tom Hopkins, Pnina Gagnon, who recently held an exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and Bruno Bobak, a war artist, instructor, engraver, sculptor and painter.
Members from Hudson Artists, the Lakeshore Association of Artists and Beaconsfield Art Association also contributed, as did Association des artistes de Saint-Laurent, Kirkland Artists' Association, Artists Circle and Dorval Artists' Association.
The Wildcard Art Sale will be held Saturday August 21 at Complexe Dompark, 5524 St. Patrick, in Montreal (located on the Lachine Canal). Doors open at 4 p.m. and beer and wine will be served. Tickets for the sale can be purchased by calling 450 458-2901, or at the following locations: May’s Studio, 495 Main Rd., in Hudson, Le Nichoir, 637 Main Rd., in Hudson, or at the Stewart Hall Art Gallery Boutique, 176, chemin du Bord-du-Lac in Pointe-Claire.
To view the art in advance, go to www.lenichoir.org and follow the link for the Wildcard Project.
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