Falmouth Art Center Auction includes Variety of Artwork

The Falmouth Art Center’s biggest fundraiser of the year, ARTrageous, is in two parts this year. The first part is an online auction going on now. The second part is a Virtual Gala on Zoom taking place on Friday, July 9, at 6pm. Everyone is welcome to participate in one or both events.

Falmouth Art Center’s annual auction has long been a highlight of the summer arts season. This year, bidding is online with the artwork on display in person at the Falmouth Art Center. The link to access the online auction can be found at the Falmouth Art Center’s website, falmouthart.org. The deadline for bidding is Friday, July 9, at 8pm.

Artists represented in the auction include many of the top artists in the region, including several who teach at Falmouth Art Center. Here is the list of artists with work in the auction: Forrest Pirovano, Betsy Payne Cook, Sue Colozzi, Linda Walker, Charlotte Harris, Nancy Porta, Valerie Belcher, Diana Lee, Bill Noble, Susan Varga, Jim Musto, Ruth Leech, Louise Luckinbill, Andrew Kusmin, Terry Dunn, Suzanne Packer, Margaret Nowak, Denis Chasse, Sigrid Hecker, Doris Epstein, Julia O’Malley Keyes, Sue Beardsley, Molly Johnston, Shiv Verma, Mark Chester, Seth Rainville and Joan Cribben.

All of the auction artwork is on display in the Landrau-Partan Gallery at Falmouth Art Center from July 1 to 9.

In addition to artwork, there are a variety of other auction items from local businesses, including a private painting class with artist Hillary Osborn; a clambake for four from Eat Your Heart Out Catering; a landscape design consultation from Nancy Warren of Green Velvet Gardens and yoga classes from The Yoga Collaborative.

There are also gift baskets and gift certificates from local merchants in the auction, including a gift basket from Eugene Henry’s Gastronomical Delights; a gift basket from North Falmouth Cheese Shop; a silver bracelet from The Gilded Oyster; a ceramic cake stand made by Seth Rainville with gift cards to Maison Villatte and Windfall Market; a ceramic coffee crock made by Seth Rainville with bag of New England Coffee; and a ceramic whisking bowl made by Seth Rainville with a gift certificate to LaRoux Kitchen.

The most deluxe gift basket is all about the theme of this year’s Art Center Gala: Escape to Italy. Called the Buon Appetito Gift Basket, it includes an Italian porcelain serving tray; $50 gift certificate to Slice of Italy; espresso set with maker, china cups and coffee; Italian imported products: biscotti, breadsticks, fig jam, biscuits, cookies; Little Italy cookbook; homemade Italian cookies, bottle of Italian wine from Cilento region; ingredients for Capri Spritz: Lemoncello, Prosecco, and more.

Tickets to the ARTrageous Virtual Gala “Escape to Italy”, which is separate from the auction, are on sale now on the Art Center’s website or by phone or in person. The $100 ticket to the Gala is a 100 percent tax-deductible donation to Falmouth Art Center, a 501c3 non-profit.

The Virtual Gala on July 9 from 6 to 7pm will feature tour of the Cilento region in Southern Italy with Danielle Oteri and Christian Galliani of Feast on History, where they host food and wine tours. Also, Sara Toselli of the restaurant Osteria La Civetta in Falmouth will demonstrate how homemade pasta is done in the Emilia Romagna region. There will be a musical interlude with Lary Chaplan and Frank Poransky of Broadway Central. They will perform a classic piece by Rossini.

Guests at the Gala will be able to share stories of Italian adventures and favorite souvenirs in breakout rooms.

There will also be a tribute to longtime supporter and volunteer, Carolyn Hummer of Falmouth, who has served on the board and headed up the Art Center’s fundraising activities for years.

The Falmouth Art Center is located at 137 Gifford Street in Falmouth. The Center is free and open to the public daily, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm; Saturday 10am to 2pm and Sunday 1 to 4pm. For more information, go to FalmouthArt.org or call 508-540-3304.