Going Once, Going Twice… – July/Aug 1999

AUCTION! The very sound of the word conjures up thoughts and memories of exciting times. Coupled with a group of stone sculptors composed of both longtime friends and newcomers, and their various idiosyncrasies, a wonderful, exciting, and hilarious event occurs.

Steve Sandry and Brian Berman shared auctioneer duties, assisted by various spotters to identify bidders’ numbers on the waving plates. Items varied from silver earrings to 100 pounds of marble, from $5 to $150. A beanie-baby-style frog bath scrubber was one of the first items; other items included books, tools, and other items useful to our pursuits (tarps, gloves, overalls with moon dust in the pockets, diamond finishing disks, stones, finished pieces, ceramic masks, original watercolors of the camp and some attendees, jewelry, and more) and took over two hours to sell. Over $4,000 was raised for the symposium scholarship fund!

And there wasn’t any reluctance from the audience to offer advice and comments during the bidding. The strap-on water-cooling kit might serve as a portable bidet or enema device; the small stone cube with smiling/frowning faces on opposite sides could serve as an invitation/warning at a studio entrance of the sculptor’s mood. Steve’s antics with the back brace and the “sound of Velcro” elicited an interesting comment that it sounded like lingerie, which generated more hilarious comments. The “Get serviced at Larry’s” license plates were derided with “I want to meet him first” and “I know Larry. How about somebody else?” The “History of Art” book really got knocked by the art majors. “I need it for a seat lift for my grandson”; “I want a copy to burn”; a bid of 50 cents was received; suggested uses were to press flowers and look impressive on a bookshelf. Brian performed with a Y2K noodle maker, guaranteed to pass into the new millennium without any glitches. Kirk McLean waved his plate in front of Steve a few times, annoying him, until he realized Kirk was bidding. Leon White, one of the volunteers keeping track of the bidding, mumbled “sold to Leon for $40” as the bidding on one item continued past $50. A “unique” 4’x4′ framed pencil portrait was unsigned, but Steve said he would sign it for the successful bidder. Sterling and Ellie Williamson, from Virginia, were trying, unsuccessfully, to hold each other back from bidding, due to the logistics of transportation. The story of the carry-on 70 pound granite basin will be interesting to hear next time we see them. It was rumored there was still room on their second pallet when they left. Ruth Mueseler stared down one competitor, and Verna Dice teamed with Becky Kosowski to shout down another. Terry Slaton’s close bidding (to 10 cents) on the respirator (German gas mask with canister) probably only gained him a unique Halloween mask. (Further recollections at home, after the wine wore off, were that this had been auctioned off at some previous NWSSA symposium. Perhaps it should become a permanent auction item with a bidder’s nameplate, like a trophy.) Ken Barnes came up with a great idea for those members who had all the stuff they needed, or had no room to cart anything home with them: bid on nothing’ Over $1000 was raised just selling pledges for $10 to $150! Everyone seemed to have an enjoyable time.

Thanks to all (bidders and planners) for a great event!