A man danced to Santana, Sinatra and Willie Nelson while painting. Another created a wine-inspired pastel masterpiece on the sidewalk. And inside the Sun Valley Center's Wine Auction tent Trina Peters, president of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts board of trustees, announced that $1 million had already been donated to the Center's building campaign.
And this was before the auction actually began. The donors, Gail and Jack Thornton, beamed from their table as Peters and The Center's Executive Director Sam Gappmayer saluted them from the stage.
The 27th annual Sun Valley Center for the Arts Wine Auction annually raises money for its scholarships, programs and educational offerings. This year the net amount raised by the auction of some 62 premiere lots was $1,181,410. It's underwritten by Lexus, Wells Fargo—A Private Bank, and XOJET and chaired for a second year by Liz and Rufus Brown.
The live auction had a bit of everything, from a biking and wine excursion to Italy ($27,000); 10 days on the World ($54,000); an ultimate fishing adventure in British Columbia ($32,000) and some of the best combinations of wine and food one can imagine.
A raffled Lexus was won by Patricia Weiss of Texas, who is "extremely excited and will be ordering a red Lexus LX 570," The Center's Marketing Director Kristine Bretall said.
More than 2,500 people attended the weekend of events, including the Vintner Dinners, the Wine Auction Gala the Wine Tasting Extravaganza and the Wine Picnic and concert.
Particular stand out wines at the tasting included the BOND 2004 Melbury, 2003 Spring Mountain Elivette and a McMuray Pinot Noir.
This year, new records were set at the auction when three different lots were sold twice. The first lot to double was a barbecue for 20 offered by Chappellet Vineyard including a three-liter bottle that sold twice for $38,000. A diamond cuff bracelet donated by Holli Jewelers of Ketchum sold twice for $25,000 apiece and a lot from XOJET and Blackbird Vineyards also went to the wire and doubled at $44,000 each.
The direct bidding for the "Take Part for Art" lot raised a record $198,500.
"The money raised benefits every student in the Blaine County Schools," Gappmayer said. "What's most exciting, is the enthusiasm that people bring to this lot in particular. In the Wood River Valley, all year long we witness the community come together with family, friends and visitors through the arts."
While presented by the Sun Valley Center, the events are handled by hundreds of volunteers, vintners and individuals who "donate wine and other auction items, open their homes and in countless other ways help to make the Auction a success," Bretall said. "Local businesses pitch in too. For 14 years, Tom and Sharon Pyle and Atkinsons' Markets have donated original locally inspired etched bottles—this year's version showed 'Summer's Catch,' a painting of a fly fisherman with the background of Baldy. The art is hand-painted and hand-etched on seven 6 liter bottles of fine Washington State wines."
Over the history of this lot, Atkinsons' has helped The Center raise over $440,000 for local arts programs.
The announcement of the Thornton's gift highlights that in addition to raising annual operating income through the Auction, The Center is running a separate campaign to fund its plans for a new facility.
"Gail and Jack have been so generous from the get go," The Center's Art Director Kristin Poole said through tears upon hearing the news. "They are extraordinary."
The Center also announced that Tod Hamachek is the general chair of the capital campaign. He has extensive non-profit experience and recently chaired a capital campaign for the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, Conn.
Jack Thornton responds to cheers as it is announced that he and his wife Gail had made an outright donation to the Center’s building campaign.
Photo by Willy Cook
