Exhibition and Closed Bid Auction benefitting Bennington Museum and Regional Artists
November 27 through December 28
Parmelee and Limric Galleries
Vermont has a long history of supporting progressive, forward thinking ideas. This exhibition and closed-bid auction, a program of the museum’s annual Festival fundraiser, features the work of 25 contemporary artists living and/or working in Vermont and the immediately surrounding region. The works on view are their response to the simple prompt: “What is your vision for the future of Vermont?”
Vermont is strongly associated in the collective consciousness with idyllic visions of a rural past. But what about our future, especially in the midst of an international pandemic and a national reckoning with systemic racism and social injustice? How will we as a state deal with these pressing issues and the many other preexisting problems facing our communities, such as an aging population, a dwindling jobs base, and the looming environmental crises, in our increasingly interconnected world? Aware of the complexities of change over time and of the dangers of utopian prognostication, the artists in this exhibition have used their imaginations and creative energies to provide warnings of what might come to be if with we don’t take action now, while simultaneously helping us envision a happier and healthier future for our state.
Vermont Utopias is part of 2020 Vision: Reflecting on a World-Changing Year, a statewide initiative of the Vermont Curators Group.
How does a Closed-Bid Auction work?
The Auction: Bids placed on items in this auction will only be seen by Museum staff on the bid opening date. The opening bid on each piece will be decided by the artist. Each artist will receive 50% of their work’s sale price.
Closed-Bid Auction: The Closed-Bid Auction of exhibited artwork will open at 10 am on November 27, 2020 and close at 4 pm on December 21, 2020. Each bidder must fill out a bid card, which will be dated and sealed in an envelope and placed in the secure receptacle provided at the entrance to the exhibit, or an online bid form. By signing the bid-card or placing a bid online the bidder is entering into a legally binding contract to purchase the work of art should he/she be the winner.
After the bidding closes, the bid envelopes and online bids will be recorded with two people present. The person with the highest bid for each work of art will be declared the winner and be contacted for payment and to arrange a pick-up time by January 15, 2021, at the latest. In the event of a tie the bid placed first will be the winner. To avoid a tie, we urge people to bid an odd amount such as $501.50 rather than $500.00.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Corporate sponsors are recognized as community leaders and help expand the mission impact of Bennington Museum.
