SOIL's annual art auction is a special event in the Seattle art calendar. Hosted at the Greg Kucera Gallery last year, I remember seeing Seattle artists and art admirers packing out the space, bidding on local artists' works. I nibbled cheese in the corner while I made sure no one outbid me on a piece I wanted. Because of the pandemic, the event—which pays for 75% of the artist-run gallery's expenses—needed to become more socially distant this year. Instead of an in-person silent auction, SOIL is hosting their 25th auction online. This allows them to remain COVID compliant while still closing the financial gap to keep the gallery around for another year. Masquerade: A Not So Silent Auction launched with a virtual Kickoff Variety Hour hosted by SOIL member Forrest Perrine. The hour-long event—which you can now stream on YouTube—featured lots of fun and awkward masked banter as well as pre-recorded interviews with some of the 50+ artists featured in the auction. So far, SOIL has raised more than $15,000 in straight donations and is close to $40,000 in overall donations. They say that based on these numbers, the Pioneer Square gallery seems to be on track for another year, despite the restrictions that have pushed a lot of art spaces out of existence.

 


  by Jas Keimig