The 38th annual Art from the Heart benefit auction reopened the University Art Gallery’s doors after being shut down for 2 years due to COVID. The exhibition took place between Feb. 2 and Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and showcased a variety of artistic mediums from local Sonoma County artists. All proceeds from the auction go directly to the gallery and help fund various lectures and programs for students.

Speaking about the Covid closure and reopening, Art History Interim Director and Lecturer, Jennifer Bethke, PhD, exclaimed, “We are so excited to be back open again…it was really hard to be closed. We were running exhibitions online… We were putting stuff up on our gallery website, which is just not the same. It’s really nice to have art hanging on the walls again and have the doors open, and have people visiting. It’s fantastic.” 

Although circumstances are different this year, many people have still visited the gallery. Bethke stated, “The turnout in the gallery during the day has actually been really great.” “We are getting 40 or 50 people everyday which is really nice, so people are still committed to coming and seeing the work even though the format is kind of different this year. So we are really excited about that.” 

Sonoma County resident and former Sonoma State student Shane Micheli shared his experience with the show, “This was my first time seeing the show. There seems to be quite an eclectic taste in curation. There’s definitely diversity. If you were bidding on art, there would be a good chance that you would be able to affix to a piece.”

The variety of artwork consisted of two-dimensional mediums such as oil paintings, mixed media, acrylics, pastels, and photography, as well as three-dimensional forms, including sculptures and ceramics. QR codes linked to a bidding platform called Livesoure.com allowed in-person attendees to bid through their mobile devices and permitted those who were unable to make it to the event to place bids too. At the time of this article, several pieces have already been purchased, with some items receiving bids as high as $1,700.  Former SSU art professor Mark Perlman had the highest bid piece. Perlman’s encaustic on panel titled Neighbor (2021), is a blend of abstract impressionism and colored field. His radiant encaustic paintings have been displayed all throughout the Bay Area and around the United States for 40 years. The ceramics and sculptures in the exhibit included bowls, a pit-fired vessel, a cat, Raku Heads, and an extravagant teapot as well as various abstract forms. 

 For those who missed the debut viewing of the gallery, the next show will be called A Beautiful Mess, Weavers, and Knotters of the Vanguard, which will run from Feb. 24 through Apr. 10 at the University Art Gallery. 

To stay updated on this event and future events, visit The University Art Gallery page through the SSU website or on Instagram @ssu_universityartgallery.