14th Annual Faculty+Alumni Auction Raises Record Revenues for Scholarships & Artists

"Rainy Day on Market Street" was one of two paintings by Greg Gandy (MFA08 Fine Art) that fetched the highest prices in the silent and live auctions.

Strong attendance and record revenues marked the 14th annual Academy of Art University Faculty+Alumni Fine Art Auction, held Nov. 7 at the school’s 79 Gallery. The event’s silent and live auctions raised more than $190,000 to benefit both artists and students, with proceeds split evenly between the artists and the university’s Student Scholarship Fund.

Alum Greg Gandy (MFA08 Fine Art) led the bidding for his paintings “Rainy Day of Market” and “Sunset on Polk,” which topped the silent and live auctions respectively.

Photo by Bob Toy

Proceeds are still being tallied, but they exceeded expectations and all previous years. “Despite the current economy, the huge crowd that attended this year’s auction is a testament to the public’s desire to support the arts and emerging artists in particular,” observes Galleries Director Hillary Welde.

Photo by Bob Toy

In addition to awarding scholarships to the top student artists at the Academy’s annual Spring Show, the Student Scholarship Fund offers hundreds of students and teachers the opportunity to participate in learning and enrichment programs, including:

Pre-College Summer and Saturday Art Experience allow high school students to earn college credits while creating a portfolio. Participants have over 40 classes to choose from, all taught by professional artists.

Teacher Grant Program offers full-tuition, summer-semester scholarships to secondary and community college teachers nationwide.

Summer Portfolio Grant provides tuition scholarships, up to 100 percent of costs to first-time Academy students, based on the strength of the incoming student’s portfolio.