I should have expected nothing less.
Still, I was surprised and thrilled by the sheer size of the crowd that made its way to the loft building location in Red Hook for Art Obama.
Hepcat, who had a photograph in the show, gave me directions. “Take 18th Street all the way west and keep going until you can go now more. You’ll come to a brick wall. That’s where you’re going.”
Those really are the directions to 62 18th Street, an industrial, end-of-the-world type of industrial Brooklyn location. Once there crowds were helpfully shown to a huge loft elevator, which took guests upstairs where volunteers signed people in.
I saw so many Third Street friends (and friends from other Park Slope streets as well) helping out at the sign-in table, pouring wine, greeting people that I said jokingly,
“Where are the real people?”
We were given our auction numbers and told to start bidding because, alas, that was the purpose of the evening: to make some money for Barack Obama.
More than 100 pieces of art lined the walls of three rooms. There was so much to see that for the first hour I just wandered around and drank too much red wine, some of which was supplied by wine expert and distributor, Daniel Johnes.
At one point I was toured around by a helpful artist. She showed me some of her favorite pieces; I pointed to a colorful gouache and acrylic on paper:
“I don’t know why no one has bid on that one yet,” I said.
“Oh that’s mine,” she said. “I’m Margaret Neill.”
“Well, I was planning on bidding on it,” I said and I did. I told her it was one of the pieces that I featured on OTBKB the other day. Now it’s pictured above.
And readers, I bought it.
Crowds continued to pour into the large space that is an artist’s studio when it’s not the site of a buzzing, schmoozy, fun benefit for change. As the evening progressed, there was a real charged air of excitement and fun, like, let’s make some money for Obama, guys. At 8:45 with just fifteen minutes left of bidding time, the starting bid on all the pieces that didn’t have bids on them dropped to $100. There were just a few items in that category but it definitely lit a fire under some undecided bidders in the same way that watching Sarah Palin debate Joe Biden lit a fire under some undecided voters (we hope).
For Obama, of course.
The event, coming on the heels of Thursday night’s Vice Presidential debate, had urgency and purpose. Kudos to the team who put the event together. They did it, miraculously, in three weeks: the power of an idea, loads of energy, and smarts.
In three short weeks, this motivated group was able to sign on a huge group of artists, organize the silent auction, make a web site, a great logo, pick up and hang the art, pull together a terrific party with wine and food and get a lot of friends, neighbors and supporters of Obama to come together on a Friday night and make some money for Barack Obama.
It was inspiring.