Monday 1 November 2010

Bitten off more than I can chew

So I volunteer sometimes for an anti-poverty group, and I print sometimes at the print studio. Both based in Hackney. At the Anarchist Bookfair I had a lightbulb moment when I remembered Just Seeds collective, who sell their work to fund community projects. Maybe I could get the printmakers to give me some of their work, we could sell it as a fundraiser for the voluntary group, which is constantly broke, the voluntary group gets some much needed cash and the printmakers get a warm glow of benevolence, everybody's happy.

I proposed it and have just had an email back from one of the artists to say she'd donate some work - hurrah! (She's a proper artist whose work is collected by the British Museum and everything.)

But she did mention the word 'auction' in her reply. I was thinking along the lines of a stall down Brick Lane with prints for a tenner, but maybe they wouldn't want to sell off their lovely work cheap on a market stall, plus also if we did have a proper auction it would raise more money.

The only thing is, how do you set up an auction?

5 comments:

  1. One word - Ebay! You are offering to the World rather than just a few people in a room and if she is a *known* name it is perfect. You can do a high-start auction or simply set a reserve price.

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  2. You just need to watch out for Cherie Blair that's all...

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  3. That is true Rog - I just wonder how you might advertise it - I remembetr when London Underground had a print auction and they did it on Ebay, but they had the exhibition in London first (and their whole marketing machine too.)

    This is the kind of thing I like to think about and find out about, if only the day job didn't take up so much bloody time.

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  4. I'd like to buy a picture.

    Not auction though, too intimidating for the likes of me...

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  5. Spin, aw, great. I will let people know when it's on - so far I've had 3 artists say yes, which is lovely, but not enough yet. I hate auctions myself - I went to this exhibition & went all hopeful onto eBay only to watch prices rocket into the thousands...

    http://art.tfl.gov.uk/projects/detail/1368/

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