80 Artists, 80 Boxes, 2 Days
It has been 16 years since supporters of East End Hospice first asked regional artists to create unique works of art from small, unadorned boxes that could be put up for auction to benefit the organization.
Time has apparently done nothing to diminish the interest of artists and the public in the event. “Consistency has been good over the years,” said Arlene Bujese, chairwoman of the benefit. “I sometimes ask myself if we’ve had enough boxes, but the artists keep turning up and pushing themselves even further, building on what they did before. So there’s always something new, something fresh, and with Lucas Hunt as auctioneer we always have an upbeat time of it. The enthusiasm hasn’t waned, so why should we?”
This year’s auction will take place in Hoie Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton on Aug. 27, with a silent auction and reception beginning at 4:30 p.m. and the live auction starting at 6. Savvy buyers will have an opportunity to preview the art at the same location on Wednesday and next Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a “meet the artists” preview reception will take place on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Among the more than 80 artists participating in this year’s event are Eric Ernst, Sue Gussow, Carol Hunt, Tracy Jamar, Barry McCallion, Gabriele Raacke, Dan Welden, and Frank Wimberley. There are also five artist-couples: Dan Rizzie and Susan Lazarus-Reiman, Mary Antzak and Bill Kiriazis, Rex Lau and Diane Mayo, Rosanne and Walter Schwab, and Caren Sturmer and Randall Rosenthal. First-time contributors are Jackie Fuchs, Alice Hope, Lynn Leff, Setha Low, Bo Parsons, and Ms. Lazarus-Reimen.
Susan Kennedy Zeller, associate curator of Native American art at the Brooklyn Museum, will receive the Spirit of Community Award for her generous support of East End Hospice and the East Hampton community for many years.
This year’s auction coincides with the opening in March of the Kanas Center for Inpatient Hospice Care in Quiogue, where staff and volunteers provide 24-hour acute care as well as support for patients and their families from the entire East End.
“Many of the artists from Box Art are now part of the center’s permanent collection,” said Ms. Bujese. “April Gornik is not in this year’s auction because, having given us four prints for the center, we felt we had asked enough of her. That kind of generosity deserves a break. There are some changes this year. Sad to say, we lost Priscilla Bowden. But I think it’s important to add new artists from the community every year.”
Tickets for the auction cost $75 and include wine and hors d’oeuvres.