100 percent

How much art can you get for $100?

Quite a lot, actually, as demonstrated by All In, a recent Holland Project art exhibit and fundraiser. Work by 30 artists was up for sale during the three-day exhibit from Sept. 16-19. At the closing reception on Sept. 19, each piece on display was sold for $100, with all of the proceeds going toward Holland.

“[Artists] were told that all of the donated work would be selling for $100 as opposed to being a part of a silent auction,” said Nick Larsen, curator of All In and a contributing artist to the show. “If the artists were interested in participating, then they could determine what a $100 piece meant in relation to their work. There was no guidelines in terms of medium or size.”

Artists with some stake in Reno were asked to participate, according to Alisha Funkhouser, who manages the gallery at Holland.

“Some of the artists are from out of town but are from Reno or have participated in Reno art in some way,” she said.

This included artists like Audrey Love, a former RN&R contributor who currently resides in San Francisco, and Christina Lee, who lives in Long Beach. Many of the other artists are current Reno residents.

“The artists in the show have all contributed to the visual arts side of Holland and helped define the character of the Holland Project Gallery in some way,” Larsen said. “The majority of the artists in the show have either exhibited work in solo or group shows at Holland in the past or have worked on the gallery curatorial committee to help select exhibitions for the space. They are artists who are invested in the Holland Project Gallery’s success and were willing to donate artwork for the sole purpose of sustaining and building on the level of exhibition programming happening in the gallery.”

The result was a unique show featuring art from across the spectrum, much of it mixed medium. Abstract paintings, tiny paintings, large photographs and floor-to-ceiling installations were all on display, and the result is an interesting perspective on the value of art.

This is the first time Holland Project, a nonprofit organization, has done a fundraiser in this format, but both Larsen and Funkhouser consider the event a success. Larsen doesn’t yet know how much money they raised, but most of the pieces were sold.

“We’re still doing the final counts on everything, and there are a few pieces that are tentatively sold that I’m reluctant to count until we actually have the money in hand,” Larsen says. “That being said, it was definitely an overwhelming majority of the work that was sold, and the event was very much a successful fundraiser for the Holland Project Gallery.”

Larsen says that it’s likely they’ll do a similar event next year.

“I think this show will become an annual event for Holland, though I may not be the one organizing it next year,” he says. “I have benefited greatly from the resources, exhibition space, and community support that Holland has provided, and things like this are a small way to give a little something back and do my small part to help keep Holland around forever. I know most, if not all, of the other artists in the show feel exactly the same way.”