The Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre (RVAC) hosted their annual ‘Anything Goes’ exhibit in late April, bringing in about $5,000 for the next year.
If it was 12” by 12”, then it was up for grabs at RVAC on April 27. The event drew artwork from all backgrounds and all ages, which made for a fun closing of the event that included a live auction. RVAC executive director, Meghan Porath, spoke about the event and what it took to make it happen.
“We had bees, we had a lot of mountainscapes we had a felted dog, we had sculptural pieces we had pottery, we had everything. So, it was great,” said Porath.
The variance wasn’t just restricted to theme, the age of the artists also varied in the auction with the youngest contributor’s (seven years-old) work being sold for $150.
The past event was Porath’s third since coming on board as the executive director. This year was also the third consecutive record for the number of pieces showcased. Her first year, Porath said they had 56 pieces, last year they had 72, and this year they had 74. While the record-breaking streak was nice, Porath said they’re reaching their limit.
“It’s getting to the point where we don’t have space in the gallery,” she said with a laugh.
In the three years that she’s organized ‘Anything Goes’, Porath said she’d gotten used to the logistics of putting it together, but this year’s auction added an extra hurdle.
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“We want to make it as seamless to work between the two [websites] as possible. So, when people go to our website, they get the same experience as being here in person,” she said.
To help, Porath increased the number of photos of the artwork online to four photos per piece. The pictures were no challenge, but for each one, Porath edited and printed out QR codes for every piece. The simple addition was valuable but time-consuming.
While she was happy to aid the online bidding, Porath expressed a preference for the in-person atmosphere.
“I think there’s something to be said about gathering everyone together to count down the bids. So, when everything closes it’s– everyone’s got that like energy and that buzz in the room,” said Porath.
Of the more than 70 artworks sold, three paintings hauled in $300.
The last paintings were sold as a live auction at the closing event. Despite her three years’ experience, Porath said she opted to forego the auctioneer voice this time.
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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
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