Art with Heart

Last night was the 3rd annual Art with Heart fundraiser for San Jose Clinic. I arrived at 4:30p.m. to volunteer, and I ended up learning how to use the electronic tablets used for the art auction. I would be working the tables throughout the night to help people make bids on items.

I was on my feet all evening as people came up to me asking for help, placing bids, and checking on the status of bids already placed. I absolutely loved a painting titled "Rose" and was actually interested in bidding on it myself. It ended up going for $240 at the end of the night. Overall, the event raised almost $70,000. Personally, I thought they would've raised more, but there was a lot of art that went unsold at the end of the night, which was slightly sad.

The Cardinal showed up, and they had a live auction of his portrait, which went for $5000. The man who won it ended up donating the portrait to San Jose, so that was a really touching moment. Matress Mac of Gallery Furniture was actually the speaker for the live auction, and he was very funny.

I am really glad I got to be a part of Art with Heart as both a volunteer from San Jose and a volunteer from Tri-Beta. I met a lot of great people, saw workers from the clinic outside of the professional setting, and got to see local artists who actually put their work into the auction. It was a different experience, and I'll be interested in coming next year as either a volunteer or bidder.