Vashon Center for the Arts Announces
Changes to 2021 Gala Art Auction ‘Masquerade’
VASHON, WA — In light of the recent rise in COVID-19 Delta variant cases on the island, Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) has decided to adapt its annual fundraiser and return to a three week, 2-part auction event—an Online Auction opening on First Friday, September 3rd, and a virtual gala night livestream event on Friday, September 24th.
“Heartbreaking as it is, holding a sit-down catered dinner and in-person gathering for 300 guests in our atrium adds a risk factor we are simply not willing to take,” said Allison Reid, Executive Director. “We are not cancelling this critical fundraising event for our arts center but responding to our patrons concerns and returning to the format we successfully pulled off in 2020.”
Similar to 2020, VCA’s annual Gala Art Auction will take place in two-parts:
Part I: Auction Items will go on display in the VCA Gallery beginning September 3. In-person viewing and online bidding starts September 3 and will run through the evening of September 24. The VCA gallery will feature all the art and experience auction items with bidding active for the full 3 weeks. More than a hundred original art pieces by your favorite local artists have been donated, not to mention dozens of fantastic one-of-a-kind experiences. Participants can visit the gallery in-person to see the items up close and bid as often as they like, or they can choose to visit the online auction site and bid from afar. VCA Staff will be on hand to help visitors sign up for mobile bidding at https://vca.maxgiving.bid where they can bid.
Part II: Livestream Virtual Gala Night set for September 24th at 7PM. VCA supporters are encouraged to tune in and watch the gala benefit broadcast on September 24. Co-hosts Kevin Joyce and Martha Enson of EnJoy Productions return with their trademark humor and spirit to host a virtual gala featuring special guest performances, on-air prize drawings for fabulous items, a Golden Ticket raffle, and a very important fundraising appeal for our Blue Heron Education Center and our scholarship programs. The livestream will be broadcast from the Kay White Hall and is free to view.
In addition, the VCA auction committee plans to offer boxed dinners and treats that can be pre-ordered prior to the livestream event on September 24th and will be delivered to homes across the island. More details will be coming out in the next few weeks.
For patrons who already purchased tickets to the in-person event, VCA staff will be reaching out in the coming days to offer refunds, exchanges, or the option to turn your refund into a charitable donation.
“VCA is still very much open for business and we encourage the community to continue to safely visit our campus and show their support for the arts,” Reid said. “Moving forward, our events in our theatre will require proof of vaccination and that attendees wear masks indoors at all times.”
Bidding for artwork and other experiential offerings begins online Sept. 3, at VCA.maxgiving.bid and will close at 7PM on Sept. 24, as the livestream gala commences.
For questions or further information, please call 206.259.3007 or email info@vashoncenterforthearts.org.
