The Friends of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery
21st Annual Art Auction a Rousing Success
Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: It was a memorable evening that was filled with drama, excitement and exceptional bidding as well as celebrating a local legend. The Friends of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery’s 21st Annual Art Auction brought together art devotees, artists and members of the community to commemorate the 80th birthday of the late artist Jim Jones as well as raise funds for the Friends’ efforts.
Held on Thursday, February 28th at a packed Rusty’s Ranch House, attendees helped the Friends raise more than $29,000 for the sponsorship of their fall 2013 exhibition: Jim Jones: The San Blas Years, featuring canvases created during Jimmie’s time in Mexico. Monies raised also benefit Friends’-sponsored education and outreach programs as well as construction of the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). The San Blas exhibition will be curated by James M. Aton, SUU Professor of English who is currently at work on a biography of Jimmie Jones. Aton is still seeking any of Jimmie’s undocumented Mexican paintings. If you have any of these works, please contact Aton at (435) 586-7838 or aton@suu.edu.
Emceed with great charm and warmth by actor, director and composer Brad Carroll, the event was full of surprises. Jim Aton introduced three of Jimmie’s surviving siblings, their spouses and one of his longtime friends. In attendance were brother Gary Jones and his wife, Utahna, from Salt Lake City, sister Dorothy Jones Roller and her husband, Bob, from San Jose, California, and sister Pat Jones Embley and her husband, John, from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Another special guest was Jimmie’s friend Tony Stocks from Portland, Oregon, who recently donated several of Jimmie’s original works to Southern Utah University. After their introduction, Brad Carroll led the crowd in a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday” dedicated to Jimmie Jones.
The live auction was helmed by guest auctioneer Peter Sham, actor, writer and Director of SUU’s Theatre Arts program. During the live auction, there were several standout moments. One came early, when Sham put a breathtaking porcelain vase created by potter Harold Snider up for auction. However, before the bidding could begin, Jim Aton stunned the crowd by putting his paddle in the air and declaring that he was authorized to bid $1,000 for the vase from Margaret Greaves Amy, a high school friend of Jimmie’s who was taken with the vase when she saw it on the auction’s online preview. A highpoint came when a hot bidding war broke between SUU’s President Michael T. Benson and local David Nyman over a stunning painting by Kate Starling entitled “Eagle Crags at Sunset.” As the bidding rose, so did the heartbeats of many in the room. In the end, the painting went to President Benson. Anne Gardner, Chair of the Friends, was also victorious in a heated bidding war with Springdale gallery owner Kathy LaFave over Ron Spears’ beautiful canvas “Virgin River Calm.”
In addition to the enthusiasm surrounding the live auction, a variety of antics and strategies were employed by the winners of the 29 silent auction items. Others walked away happy with special opportunity-to-win packages which featured terrific contributions from so different local businesses.
Anne Gardner was overwhelmed by the evening’s success. “This year’s auction raised funds that will continue to honor the art and legacy of Jimmie Jones. I cannot think of a more rewarding experience. On behalf of the Friends, we are deeply grateful to all the artists who donated such spectacular art to event – without their support we would not be able to continue our efforts of bringing art to our community. In addition, I must praise our local merchants for their donations as well as members of the Friends and the graduate students in SUU’s Arts Administration program. Without their dedication this event would not happen.”
The Friends of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery is a non-profit group established in 1977, just one year after the Gallery was opened on the Southern Utah University campus. For nearly 35 years the Friendshave helped enrich lives through their sponsorship of world-class exhibitions and outstanding arts education programs. Each year Friends'-supported exhibitions attract legions of art lovers from throughout the intermountain west. In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits exhibition saw a record number of attendees from throughout the region. Other Friends' supported exhibitions seen in recent years at the Braithwaite supported by the Friends include Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos, Chihuly Baskets, Soviet Era Art: 1917-1991 and the recent Everything in Between: Art Quilts, Fabric Collage and Embroidery. All of these exhibitions were free to the general public.
The Friends of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery look forward to bringing Jim Jones: The San Blas Years to the Gallery in September 2013. You too can be a Friend of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery for as little as $60 annually. If you are interested, visit http://www.suu.edu/pva/artgallery/friends.html or call (435) 586-5432. Become a Friend and show your support for art in southern Utah.
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ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean at (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean at (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.
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