Diablo Valley College art professors auctioned off their own art pieces at an event earlier this month that earned the department $3,317 in revenue, to be used for future art student awards.
The highest bid of $500 went to DVC art professor and gallery coordinator Arthur King’s painting, titled “Why don’t cats like me?”
The auction, held in Room 101 of the Art Complex, featured works from 20 art faculty members and showcased a wide range of media, including paintings, sculptures, photographs and jewelry.
Students and staff were able to bid online from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3, and the Art Department managed to sell 28 of the 47 pieces on display.
The DVC Art Gallery has hosted multiple fundraisers in the past to support student awards, but this faculty art auction marked the first of its kind, shifting the focus from student work to faculty creations.
The change drew positive responses from attendees who said they appreciated the chance to see professors’ art on display.
“Students rarely get to see their own professors’ work,” said Kristin Anderson, the school’s photography lab coordinator. “I haven’t seen many professors’ pieces even though I’m a professor myself.”
The auction put a spotlight on the different ways DVC’s art program is trying to raise funds to support student artists.
“Our goal is to get more donations towards student awards that aren’t just coming from teachers buying other teachers’ work,” said Karl MacDade, another art professor on campus.
The student art awards to be funded by the auction are expected to be presented during DVC’s annual spring art show, where students get recognized and awarded for their work.
But while many agreed the auction was a worthy cause, not everyone in attendance could contribute a donation.
Christopher Marker, a DVC professor teaching photography and portfolio development, said he wished he could have participated in the bidding. But “as a part-time professor, I didn’t want to purchase something nonessential,” he said, highlighting the challenges of school fundraising efforts like this one.
In some instances, people wishing to acquire art competed in the bidding process, but didn’t always walk away with the piece they wanted.
“I placed a bid on the diamond and puka shell earrings that Stephen Dove, a DVC jewelry and metalsmithing professor made, but I got outbid,” said Anderson, whose own artwork was also on sale at the auction.
While Anderson’s work wasn’t purchased, she said she was happy to have participated in the event. Her photograph, titled “Protest Zone, Democratic,” depicted a man at a protest with his face half-covered by an American flag bandana.
“I wanted to show this specific photograph of mine because it’s from when I was a college student, and I think it’s reminiscent of what is going on in the world right now,” Anderson said.
Some student attendees, meanwhile, shared enthusiasm about what they saw.
“It’s cool to see the people who teach us showing off their passion,” said Reagan Thompson, a DVC student.
Another student, Athia Martinis, said she found the artwork inspiring and expressed a specific liking for a painting by art professor Tarra Lyons, entitled “Red Deer Running.”
“It looked so whimsical,” said Lyons, “it actually made me tear up a little.”