Arts Council auction sells 85 pieces for $238K, raises another $58K in donations

Net proceeds of $185K will support council’s art classes, youth education and outreach programs and events

By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR

On Feb. 22, the Arts Council of Big Sky hosted its 12th annual Auction for the Arts, welcoming 280 bidders and auctioning off 85 pieces of art made by 69 different artists. This year’s art auction was both the highest-grossing and highest-netting auction to date for the Arts Council.

The event was hosted at the Montage Big Sky hotel and raised a net total of $185,000 for local art programming. Auctiongoers considered artwork from a total of 100 regional and national artists and gallerists across silent, fixed-price and live auctions. In addition to the $238,000 collected during the auctions—that total amount was split between the Arts Council and each selling artist—the “Arts For All Paddle Call” raised $58,000 in donation pledges.

The nonprofit Arts Council collected a net total of $185,000 to “directly support making arts programming—like our ‘Contribute-What-You-Can’ art classes—available to all people in Big Sky,” according to a Feb. 28 press release. The release called the 2024 auction “our finest collection of artwork to date… the auction was a resounding success for the Arts Council and partnering artists.”

In addition to completed artwork up for bidding, six artists quick-finished and immediately auctioned off paintings during the event.

“We are incredibly proud and grateful for the army of people that contributed to the success of the event,” Katie Alvin, development director, stated in the release. “Our six hard-working staff members had the help of 50 volunteers, 280 bidders, 100 artists and gallerists, our many sponsors, and the top-notch Montage staff to raise these critical funds for arts accessibility.”

In an email to EBS, Alvin wrote that even with the record-high amount raised, “it is in line with what we’ve made in past years and only represents 10% of our overall annual income needs.”

The unrestricted funding from the art auction is important to operations, Alvin wrote. In addition to these proceeds, continued fundraising will be necessary to sustain the nonprofit’s mission and growth.

The Arts Council’s contribute-what-you-can art classes offer class attendees a suggested fee, with an optional discount. About 40% of attendees take advantage of the fee structure which can reduce class costs by as much as 70%, according to the Arts Council’s website. 

Although the art auction primarily funds those affordable classes, the proceeds also help underwrite free youth education and outreach programming—collaborating with organizations including the Big Sky School District, Discovery Academy and Big Sky Community Organization—and year-round free concerts and events including the popular Music in the Mountains summer concert series.