Cezanne’s Closet has been a steady source of income for Union Gallery over the past 18 years, but that could change with the recent suspension of the BFA program.
The gallery’s major annual fundraiser relies on donations from student-artists to make up half of the artwork auctioned off at the event. Community-artists and faculty produce the rest.
Revenue from ticket sales and a silent auction raises an average of $10,000 for the gallery.
Union Gallery’s director Jocelyn Purdie said she hopes the suspension of admissions to the BFA program will be short-lived.
“The one year that the program is suspended obviously is going to affect everybody because there won’t be fourth-years [to donate their art] I guess. So yeah, that is something that we’ll have to think about, what to do in terms of the fundraising that year,” she said. “We might do some alternative event or something like that.”
The annual event began in 1994 as a way to fund operations of the gallery inside Stauffer Library. It also acts as a platform for raising awareness about arts on campus.
“This is really a chance for [Fine Arts students] to make a presence on campus because we do get a lot of university people going as well, not just students but staff too,” Purdie said.
The fundraising gala is a one-night, art free-for-all. Ticket numbers are drawn at random and there’s a surplus of prints, paintings and lithographs up for grabs. Ticket holders have 30 seconds to choose a work of art off the walls. The event includes hors d’oeuvres and entertainment, with ticket prices geared towards parents, local art admirers and alumni — tickets cost $150 each.
“That money was crucial to keep us afloat in the early days,” Purdie said. “But [Cezanne’s Closet] also raises the profile of students [at Queen’s] in the Fine Arts program.
“They don’t get as big a profile as probably they should.”
Cezanne’s Closet co-chair Anya Mielniczek donated her artwork to the fundraiser in 2010 and plans on adding a piece to the show again this year.
“It’s awesome that we have these resources and that we can be donating and even get experience volunteering and seeing how auctions run,” Mielniczek, BFA ’12, said.
“It’s really fun to get together and get it all happening … you finally really see what everyone’s donated and the variety of the work.”
Cezanne’s Closet will be at Ban Righ Hall on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $150 for advanced purchase online or at Union Gallery.
Tags
BFA, Cezanne's Closet, fine arts, Union Gallery
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