2008 SVA Alumni Auction Tonight

Cuttings © Amy Stein

If you are in New York tonight and you love the sound of gavels, make your way over to the Visual Arts Gallery for the 2008 School of Visual Arts Alumni Society Auction. They will be honoring Lynda Benglis, Gregory Crewdson and Lorna Simpson and auctioning off a boatload of great work by SVA alumni, faculty, mentors and friends. For more information or to purchase tickets go here.

Here are the details:

SVA Alumni Society Auction
Tuesday, September 23, 6-9pm
Visual Arts Gallery
601 West 26th Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY

Shai Kremer at Julie Saul Gallery

Abandoned Syrian Base, Golan Heights, 2007 © Shai Kremer

Fighting back a sickness that has ruined me for the past several weeks I ventured to Chelsea last night for Shai Kremer's Broken Promised Land opening at Julie Saul Gallery. The opening was hopping and Shai's prints looked amazing. For over seven years Shai has been documenting the effects of military action on the landscape of Israel. The work is both sobering and beautiful and raises a lot of questions about the generations of people born into an environment where this kind of destruction is the norm.

After making the rounds at Shai's opening we walked a few blocks to the Blind Spot auction at David Zwirner. We went to the auction with a strong desire to make serious bids on a couple of pieces, but the place was so incredibly crowded it proved impossible to see the work let alone write your bid down. I quickly tucked the credit card back in the pocket and made a beeline out the door and into the beautiful New York night.

Washington Project for the Arts Auction This Friday

Benjamin, 2007 © Erika Larsen

This Friday the Washington Project for the Arts is holding it's 2008 Art Auction Gala. The WPA auction has a different format than most in that they invite people from the art world to curate the artists selected for auction. I was very honored to have Sarah Kennel, the Assistant Photography Curator at National Gallery of Art, ask me to donate a piece from my Domesticated series. Sarah clearly has great taste and a fabulous eye because she also selected Erika Larsen, An-My Lê, Lori Nix, Zoe Strauss and Shen Wei.

Even if you don't have tickets for the big event you can still support the WPA by registering and bidding online. In addition to the stellar curatorial work of Miss Kennel, be sure to check out pieces curated by Heather Darcy Bhandari of Mixed Greens and Marc and Sara Schiller of the Wooster Collective.

ArtWalk NY This Tuesday

Net 2007 © Amy Stein

This Wednesday is the 13th Annual ArtWalk NY benfiting the Coalition for the Homeless. ArtWalk is one of the premier art benefit auctions in New York and this is the second year I have been asked to participate by donating a print from my Domesticated series. I couldn't be more honored.

The Coalition for the Homeless has never been more necessary and deserving of your time, energy and money. According to the organization homelessness in New York has reached a new record, with more than 35,000 people, including 14,000 children, sleeping in emergency shelters every night. All proceeds from Artwalk NY directly fund programs provided by the coalition.

Here are the details:

13th Annual ArtWalk NY

Co-Chairs: Richard Gere, Carey Lowell, and Kayce Freed Jennings
Artist Honoree: Donald Baechler
Event Honorees: Arthur and Alice Kramer

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
6:30PM Silent Auction
8:00PM Live Auction

Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street, NYC 10011

Tickets
$125 - General Admission
$250 - VIP Seating

For tickets or event information, please call 212.776.2056.

$623,400

Trolley, New Orleans, 1955 © Robert Frank

Sold at Christie's photography auction Wednesday.

The End of a Crazy Week

Spectrum of Life © Matthew Pillsbury

The week behind was a little crazy as I tried to complete my Domesticated monograph. I took another trip to Matamoras to make a picture and I have been meeting with graphic designers so I can get cracking on the look and feel of the monograph. I've also been scrambling to get new prints together for a show of my Stranded work at SMoCA. It's hard out here for an imp.

Wednesday I took a break from work to attend the opening party of the HSBC Photography Foundation Award at Phillips de Pury Gallery in Chelsea. This year's winners are the always wonderful Matthew Pillsbury and Julia Fullerton-Batten. We were lucky to be in Madrid when the exhibition made its debut in May. Just like the opening in Madrid this was a top shelf affair with lots of delicious treats and fine champagne and wine. You can see the exhibit in New York through October 19. After that it travels to Lyon in December.

While you are checking out Matthew and Julia's work be sure to see the preview on display at Phillips de Pury in advance of their big photography auction this Wednesday. It is really an amazing experience to take in so much great work in one convenient location. Among the photographs soon to be sold for ridiculous sums of cash include works by Clark, Levitt, Arbus, Frank, Meatyard, Klein, Shore, Sternfeld, and Goldin. The highlight for me was seeing one of my favorite pieces by Matthew, Spectrum of Life, in the auction with so many A-listers.

I would like to think the week ahead is going to be easier, but my to-do list is far too daunting to expect a reprieve.