HOW2 Organize A Small Works Auction

Published on November 11, 2010 by IAM

Many people would love to collect art, but do not have the time, money, opportunity, or space for it. A small works auction is a way to provide connection between artists and art buyers in your community, as well exposure for local artists and funds for your organization or a favorite charity. It also creates a place in your community for potential patrons to find affordable art. This is an ideal event for a library, school, church, or other community organization, and can be coupled with a silent auction, fundraiser, or holiday open house.
A small works auction could be organized like a traditional or silent auction, but we find that it is innovative and fun to run it like a raffle, and these instructions are for a raffle-style auction. Keep in mind that these instructions are guidelines, not rules, and infinitely adaptable to your organization, audience, and event.

MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Small works to sell
2. A place to display the art: tables, or a wall with an art hanging system
3. Labels for the art
4. Tickets for art buyers
5. Food and drink
6. Materials to wrap art (tissue paper, bubble wrap, bags, boxes if desired)
7. Catalog (which you will create; see “Catalog” below)

TIMELINE

Three months prior to event

• Secure space and date
• Secure commitments from volunteers
• Advertise auction in newsletters, websites, social networking sites, and emails
• Solicit donations from artists (see “donation guidelines” below)

One month prior to event  

• Work should be submitted  
• Begin pre-selling tickets, if desired  
• Create labels (with name of work and medium) and catalog for event (see “Catalog” section below)
• Lay out or hang work and labels in display area, if possible

One day prior to event

• Ensure that all collateral materials are printed and assembled
• Set up table for selling tickets

Day of event

• Arrive early to ensure everything is set up
• Direct volunteers to help (hanging coats, selling tickets, serving food, wrapping art, etc.)
• Allow patrons to mingle and look at the art
• To auction the art:

• Pull ticket from hat and read number aloud.
• Patron with that number (or proxy bidder) chooses work and has it wrapped
• In the first wrapping station copy of the catalog, find the catalog page for the.
• In the second copy, find the catalog page for the work and ask the patron to
• Choose another ticket and repeat until work is sold or tickets have all been

After the event

• Contact artists with patron information, and thank them for their donation
• Contact patrons and thank them for their patronage

DONATION GUIDELINES

“Small works” should be of an accessible size – easy to give as gifts or hang on the wall. As such, the size is best kept between 4”x4” and 12”x12”, though it is possible to be flexible on the measurements, as long as the buyer could easily pick the piece up and bring it home.
In order to ensure that this is an original work, we recommend requesting that all paintings,
mixed media, etc. be original works (no prints). Request that photographs be framed.
We recommend that the artist submit a short statement to accompany the work. It is vital that the work be submitted on time, so we recommend that the submission deadline be one month prior to the event date. This allows time to photograph the work, create the catalog, and display the work prior to the event. 
(Please note that U.S. law currently does not allow artists to take a tax deduction for the value of their work, but only the cost of the materials.)

Selling Tickets
IAM has sold auction tickets for $75; you may choose to sell for more or less, depending on the quality and quantity of the work, the buzz generated, and your particular community. (Please note that U.S. law does not currently allow patrons to deduct the cost of the ticket, as they are receiving a good in exchange for it.)
You can choose to only sell tickets the day of the event, or you can pre-sell them before the
event. (If pre-selling, see “Proxy Bidding” below.)
You will need two copies of each ticket: one for the patron to hold, and one to go into the hat
for the drawing.
Patrons could potentially buy more than one ticket; each ticket guarantees a work.  
Important: Only sell as many tickets as pieces!  

CATALOG
 
The purpose of the catalog is twofold: to allow the patrons to read the artist’s statements prior to the ticket drawing, and to send each patron home with information about their piece and its creator.
Once you’ve received all the pieces and their accompanying artist’s statements, you can
create the catalog, following these steps:

1. Take pictures of each work. Note that it’s nearly impossible to create high-quality reproductions, so concentrate on trying to capture a clear, well-lit picture that resembles the work as closely as possible.
2. Create one page for each work. This can be done in Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, or a similar program. The page should include the picture of the work, the name and email address of the artist, and the artist’s statement.
3. Print several copies of each page. Collate into several identical copies of the catalog, then three-hole punch and put into binders if desired. Two binders can go at the wrapping station, and the others can go near the exhibit while browsing.

You might also try to self-publish a bound catalog, if desired, through a service such as LuLu.com – but remember that this will incur a higher cost of production.

Proxy Bidding
People may wish to buy work that can’t attend the auction; consider making tickets available
for sale before the event (in person, or via an Internet service such as EventBrite.com). 

1. Send the patron a copy of the catalog and ask him or her to rank ALL the pieces in desired order.  
2. On the day of the event, assign a volunteer to bid on behalf of the patron. Give the  volunteer the patron’s ranked list and ticket number.
3. When the patron’s number is called, the volunteer chooses the highest ranked item on the list that has not already been chosen.
4. Wrap the art and mail or hand-deliver to patron.

SAMPLE ADVERTISEMENT  
 
Small Works Auction
[DATE], [TIME]
[LOCATION]
Join us at [LOCATION] on [DATE] for our Small Works Auction! This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain original work to hang on your wall or give to a friend at a low price.
Small works auction tickets will be available for [PRICE] - first come, first served (each auction ticket holder will take home one piece per ticket).
ARTISTS: Interested in donating and exhibiting a small work to benefit [ORGANIZATION OR CHARITY]? Contact [ORGANIZER EMAIL] for details. Submissions are due no later than [DEADLINE].

SAMPLE CONFIRMATION LETTER TO ARTIST
 
Dear [NAME],
Thanks for your interesting in donating a small work to our auction!
Let me briefly explain how this works: You send us your piece, which will be displayed in our
space for a short period of time before the event. On the day of the event, people will come
and buy a ticket, which guarantees them a piece. We will draw ticket number from a hat, and
when a person's number is called, they can take a piece from the wall. After the show we send you the buyer's contact information, and we'll send your information to them (generally just email address) so that they can contact you to find out more about the work, and so on.
It's great fun for everyone involved, and your work gets to hang on someone's wall who might not have encountered it otherwise! This is not a juried process, so even if you don't consider yourself a "professional" artist, you're welcome to send a piece.
Attached is the submission form, which includes the guidelines. Please follow these guidelines explicitly. It is important that all send accompanying materials so that we can have a great exhibition.
The deadline for works to be submitted is [DEADLINE].
Please let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing your work.
Thank you!

SAMPLE ARTWORK DONATION FORM
 
Small Works Donation Form
Small Works Art Auction – [DATE]
 
Name of Artist:  ________________________________________________________________________
Address:  ________________________________________________________________________
   ________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________________
Email Address:  ________________________________________________________________________
 
Title of Work:   ________________________________________________________________________
Media:   ________________________________________________________________________
Dimensions:  ________________________________________________________________________
 
Please attach a brief artist statement (1-2 paragraphs) for inclusion in an exhibition catalog and buyer’s information sheet.
 
Guidelines
Painting/Mixed Media

• Original works only; no prints.
• Size: approximately 4"x4" - 12"x12"

Photography

• All photographs/prints should be framed.
• Size: approximately 4"x4" - 12"x12"

Sculpture

• Size: approximately 4"x4"x4" - 12"x12"x12"

All works must be received by [DEADLINE].
Questions? Contact [ORGANIZER EMAIL].