BANGOR, Maine — When Bangor dubbed October “ARTober,” a celebration of all things arts, the Bangor Arts Society knew they wanted to be involved, so they crafted their annual Wet Paint Art Auction for the occasion.
Tonight, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Bangor Arts Society’s live auction will bring local artists and their work to the Gracie Theatre at Husson University in Bangor. Visitors to the event can enjoy a preview of the art from 6 to 7 p.m., as well as light refreshments, before joining in the bidding fun.
“I know we’re having one glass artists for sure. She did sketches from around Bangor and is making her glass in her studio. We have people doing block print. It’s not just painting. Which is nice because the Bangor Arts Society encompasses a lot of different [types of arts],” said Teddi-Jann Covell, president of the Bangor Art Society.
Registrations were accepted until 4 p.m. today, and as of this morning (Thursday), 15 people had preregistered.
“Normally what will happen is people will register right when they turn in their painting,” said Covell.
Though previously held in the summertime, anywhere between June and August, moving the event to October meant not just participating in ARTober, but opening up to a greater audience.
“You get to meet the artists. You get to view all the paintings, artwork and learn about how each piece was created, what was the inspiration [and] how they actually did it. And then we have a live auctioneer,” said Covell.
Charles Bennett, owner of Cornerstone Framing and Fine Arts on Main St. in Bangor, will be the auctioneer for the event.
Ready to raise your paddle? There’s no admission for the event, but bring your checkbook. Each piece has a reserve that must be reached for the piece to be sold, Covell said.
This year, 65 percent of the proceeds will go to the artist, an increase from the 50 percent in previous years. The remainder of the proceeds will benefit the Bangor Arts Society.
“This is just a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for regular people or anyone to actually own an original piece of art by a local artist,” said Covell. “There are so many wonderful artists [in Greater Bangor].”