DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO
At the end of a winding courtyard entrance off Orange Street, Artspace staff and volunteers welcomed and registered gala goers for Cloud 9, a gala and art auction for the benefit of Artspace. Some were dressed to the nines. One seemed to have just stepped out of the sky, grabbing his program and bidding number in the building lobby. Cloud Man was pumped and ready for auction.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
A Daniels Administration building directory still hangs at 95 Orange Street.
The gala was held Saturday in the now raw and pockmarked interior of 95 Orange St., which once served the needs of retail giant W.T. Grant Co. and was temporarily City Hall during Mayor John C. Daniels’s administration.
Gala-goers were greeted by the living sculpture of Elm City Dance Collective. Dancers (left to right) Samantha Russel, Lindsey Bauer, and Nikki Carrara drew inspiration from the Metropolitan Museum’s classic The Three Graces. Their slow, fluid motions followed pauses of perfect stillness, mesmerizing those on their way to the elevator.
Other than designer Neville Wisdom’s recent spring collection fashion show, the third floor’s 17,000 square feet of open space had not been accessible for over 20 years.
Building owners Steven and daughter Julie Bernblum (pictured), who attended the gala, were impressed by the transformation of empty space to temporary art gallery.
“They made it look beautiful” said the elder Bernblum.
The space, with its industrial and unfinished charm, was available for temporary rental after Artspace’s usual venue became unavailable. It seemed the perfect foil for the Artspace benefit and its supporters, many of whom came from as far away as Boston and New York, according to Artspace Executive Director Helen Kauder.
A giant “mouse hole” chipped out of a two-foot-thick wall of brick and mortar served as the portal between live and silent auction venues.
About 125 artists contributed work, including numerous “experience” packages that offered everything from a canoeing tour of the Connecticut River to an “Awaken Lost Romance” package that included a Blossom Shop flower bouquet, Caseus cheeses, and Ashley’s Ice Cream treats among the offerings.
Guests perusing silent auction lots, or just wishing to socialize, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and fine wine offerings by New Haven’s ROIA Restaurant. Food included puree of cocoa-nano bean on crostini and breakfast radishes with truffled Robiolina cheese.
Bidding pressure mounted as the closing moments of the silent bidding period were announced. Susan Clinard’s Kinetic Boat (above), Daniel Eugene’s, As Above, so Below (lower left), and Jason Noushin’s PUT OUT were some of the lots bidders won.
Before the live auction, bidders previewed auction lots by renowned artists Kenny Scharf, Anni Albers, and Liam Gillick.
No bids were required, however, for the unusual rooftop perspectives of Chapel Street and the New Haven skyline visible from the Cloud 9 gala space.
Some took the opportunity to frolic in the green-screen photo booth set up by Kevin Ewing of Baobab Tree Studios, with props provided by Aude Jomini (Pelli Clarke Pelli) and artist Laura Marsh. It was an opportunity for guests to re-imagine art history by photographically inserting themselves into one of three master paintings: Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe, Michelangelo’s The Creation of Man, or Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.
New Haven art czar Andrew Wolf and Artspace gallery director Sarah Fritchey joined another dynamic duo in Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
Welcoming bidders to the live auction were Artspace board members and gala co-chairs Matt Maleska (Pitney Bowes) and Barbara Pearce, who reminded the audience of the fundraiser’s importance.
“Our biggest fundraiser of the year makes possible the largest Open Studios event east of the Mississippi. Artspace does great things all year long with the proceeds raised from this event,” she said.
Auctioneer Guy Bennett, who had just arrived from Dubai feeling the after-effects of a recent flu and some jet lag, lost none of his star power or wit as he entertained and coaxed bidders.
The debonair, former Christie’s auction house specialist and Qatar Museum director of collections and acquisitions pushed the top lot, James Siena’s cigar-label inspired, five-piece print, to $5,500.
Helping boost the Artspace mission were event sponsors Withers Worldwide, Pelli Clarke Pelli, Wiggin and Dana, The Community Foundation, and Pearce Real Estate. The Cloud 9 gala raised a total of $97,000.
To learn more about Artspace or to help sponsor programs, visit their website here.