Art for Arf's Sake - Humane Society of Berks County

Update: The 2010 Art for Arf's Sake Art Auction raised over $70,000 to benefit the animals and programs of the Humane Society of Berks County! Thanks to all of our donors, artists, patrons, and sponsors for making Arf's Art the premiere animal welfare event in the region!

This year, Art for Arf’s Sake was held on Saturday, April 17 at the Reading Crowne Plaza in Wyomissing. This great new venue offered the elbow room our growing auction needs along with great food and complimentary beer and wine bar hosted by Sly Fox Brewing Company. And, of course, Arf’s Art featured the best of local, regional and national art and other nifty things in our live, silent and Chinese auctions.

This year there were a few new patron perks at various levels,

including reserved tables with wait service and a private, “patrons only” art preview reception, hosted at the home of HSBC executive director, Karel Minor and his wife, Kimberly, in historic Warwick Village, Elverson.

The Minors' home is the former Rose Side Gardens, which was a commercial horticulture garden in the first half of the twentieth century. Twice a featured Chester County Day home, the property features one hundred year old specimen plantings, arbors and pergolas. Attednees previewed dozens of selected pieces of art while sampling beer and hors d’oeuvre pairings by the brewers and chefs at Sly Fox Brewing. Plus, patrons received an exclusive first look at the HSBC’s brand new 30’ mobile veterinary and adoption center!

Since the Humane Society of Berks County does not receive any county, state or federal tax funding, or funding from any national animal groups, your support of the Arf's Art Auction was most meaningful. The over $70,000 raised will go al ong way to providing for the animals and services of the HSBC. We look forward to seeing you in 2011!

Better Known Friends

The HSBC is proud of the strong support it has received from our spectacular local and regional arts community. We're also extremely proud of the support that we have received from others from around the country, including some well known names if a variety of fields.

Past Arf's Art supporters have included John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, John Doe of X, Jim Collins, author of Good To Great, and others. At this year's Arf's Art Auction, you'll be able to pick up some neat art from folks like:

Sue Coe: Sue Coe is one of the most important politically oriented artists living in the U.S. today. From the outset of her career working as an illustrator for such publications as the New York Times and Time Magazine, Coe was committed to reaching a broad audience through the print media. Later, she began creating extended visual

discourses on subjects (such as racial discrimination or animal rights) that she felt were not being adequately addressed by conventional news organizations. Widely written about and exhibited, Coe has appeared on the cover of Art News and been the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Her work is in the collections of many major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Shown right is Sue's submission to this year's Auction, "Topsy Is Fed Lit Cigarettes". What's the word for her art? Oh, right: unflinching.

Betsy Lewin: Betsy grew up in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. She always loved to draw and can’t remember wanting to be anything but an artist. Betsy’s art is usually humorous, drawn in pen or brush with watercolor washes, as in Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type, but she also paints in a naturalistic style as in Chubbo’s Pool. Gorilla Walk is her first collaboration with her husband Ted and is about their trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Many of Betsy’s books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller

List and she has garnered many awards including a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators, and a Caldecott Honor for Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin.

Betsy donated three pieces to the 2010 Auction. A special watercolor created just for our auction after Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring (shown at top of page), a page of studies from her and husband Ted Lewin's book, "Balarama: A Royal Elephant" (detail shown), and an original "Duck"(!), well known for his mischievous starring role in the award winning "Click, Clack, Moo" books!

2010 Patron Preview Party

Arf's Art Patron supporters had a chance to get a special sneak peek at art to be featured in the auction and to be the first to see the Humane Society's brand new VetMobile! If you missed the preview, check out some images below and make sure you become a Patron next year!

The Minor home, formerly Roseside Gardens in Elverson, site of this year's Patron Preview Party.

Patrons Ray & Sally Hubbard chat in the garden with Arf's Art auctioneer Dick Henry.

Contributing artists Janna Carrozza (l), and Kate Perkins Clewell hang out in the kitchen with longtime HSBC supporter Bob Long.

Artist Adrienne Trafford with

her creation, HSBC mascot

Spike, on the brand new HSBC

VetMobile.

HSBC VetMobile sponsor Dave Kingston of Butler Schein Animal Health shares a laugh with his wife Jill and Scott and Laurel Martin, HSBC Veterinary Practice Manager.

All food and beer at the Patron Preview reception was provided by Sly Fox Brewing Company. Thanks again!

And of course, pergolas.

Did you miss out on the fun of the Patron Preview this year? It's not too late to register for the 2010 auction, and there's always 2011!

Art for Arf's Sake Art Auction

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Better Known Friends