Carol Hay, Community Helping Hands board president, inspects a painting depicting a girl picking flowers.
Community Helping Hands will be hosting a first-time event that is perfect for those seeking art, or wishing to help charitable organizations within the community.
The event will have hundreds of works of art for people to come in and make offers on. Proceeds will go toward operation costs for the organization, and will allow residents the opportunity to find artwork at a great deal.
The “Make An Offer” event will be taking place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday Nov. 14, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Board President Carol Hay noted that the organization had been wishing to have a specific and concentrated sale, to provide the community with a more direct idea of offerings. Such a large quantity of artwork donations over the years led the organization to choose that to be the focus point of the sale, said Hay. Staff has been hard at work preparing these pieces.
Hay noted that organizers and volunteers have spent hours, nearly every day, sorting through boxes of art. This process involves staff sorting, cleaning, and organizing hundreds of pieces of art. The center currently has about 18 boxes and totes of artwork that have been cleaned and readied for the sale, which only represents about a third of the total artwork that is in their stock, according to Hay.
Hay stated that for many years now, the organization has received tons of varying pieces of wall art, much of which the organization does not have the expertise or time to properly determine the value of. This is where the fun of this event comes into play. Anybody has the ability to make an offer, and take a chance, on a piece of art that could be worth far more in the eyes of a new owner. Hay also noted that many past customers have seen artwork at the location that they recognize, or are familiar with the artist of. Based on past art that has been through CHH, it seems customers may have the chance to pick up a piece of art that could be of a higher value than what was paid for it.
Carol Hay, Community Helping Hands board president, admired the wooden frame on a painting of a violin.
During the event, board members and volunteers will be walking around the area and waiting to hear offers from customers, negotiate slightly when necessary, and lead clients through a new type of shopping experience. Hay noted that a range of artwork including paintings, photos, craft items, and pieces that are beyond description will be available. There will also be countless empty picture frames, but Hay noted that customers will buy entire paintings just for the gorgeous frames.
The event will take place at the Christ First United Methodist Church, located at 663 Lakeview Ave. This will allow for visitors to solely view the paintings, without any other distracting items that would typically be present at Community Helping Hands. For any further information contact (716) 487-1488.
Some of the many boxes full of artwork that have been cleaned and prepared for the sale.
Carol Hay, Community Helping Hands board president, wipes down a painting for the sale.
