The SAQA Benefit Auction returns this Friday!

The SAQA Benefit Auction returns this Friday!

SAQA’s annual Benefit Auction is back! The 2020 edition of this exciting online fundraiser takes place September 11, 2020 to October 4, 2020 with nearly 500 art quilts made by SAQA members from around the world available for bid. Proceeds support SAQA’s many programs, including exhibitions, publications, and education outreach.

This year’s auction will unfold on the Handbid platform. A link to that site and details on how the Benefit Auction works are available at saqa.com/auction. To bid, you will need to preregister by setting up a Handbid account.

The auction kicks off this Friday with Diamond Day, when any quilt is available for $1,000 and the first bidder wins. Beginning next Monday, the reverse auction is divided into three sections, with a new one opening each Monday at 2 p.m. EDT (GMT/UTC -4). Bid prices start at $750 per quilt and drop each day at 2 p.m. EDT until they reach $100 on Saturday. Throughout the auction, you can purchase a quilt in a later section with a buy-it-now price of $1,000.

Each 12 x 12-inch work is as individual as the artist who created it. This year’s record-setting number of quilts provides an amazing variety of themes and styles: abstract and geometric, portraits and wildlife, social statements and quirky wonders.

Several artists used the COVID-19 pandemic as their theme, including Jayne Bentley Gaskins, who donated Remnants of Care, and Susan Shie, who created Coronavirus Haiku. Other artists provided a reminder of the power of nature, including Elaine Quehl, who made Reflection, and Cat Larrea, who designed Through the Forest. Variety and creativity are also evident in pieces such as Alice Beasley’s In a Day’s Work, Candice Phelan’s Ocean Sunset 1, Jo Noble’s A Matter of Perception, and Ana Buzzalino’s Circles of Red. A playful yet thoughtful vibe is found in Bodil Gardner’s Woman Of The Year 2020, Karen Miller’s Yukata and Sandy Snowden’s Ramshackle: Distancing. A perceptive closeup is offered by Fuzzy Mall with Look Up (Self Portrait).

The SAQA Benefit Auction is an opportunity to snag a piece by a favorite artist or to discover the work of someone new to you. All of the quilts provide inspiration and can be viewed on the SAQA website. While viewing the quilts, get into the spirit of collecting them by designing your own eight-piece Dream Collection to be posted on the website.

The best way to win one of these art quilts is to be prepared. As you peruse the pieces, make a bidding list. Since the first person to place a quilt in their shopping cart wins the quilt, action can be fast and furious, especially as prices drop. Be ready to win your favorite by registering now for your Handbid account through saqa.com/auction.

Note: After the auction, remaining quilts will be available for purchase on the SAQA website for $100 until mid-December.

Reflection by Elaine Quehl