If we all stood up to bigotry, we could change history – that’s the message of the Anti-Defamation League’s “Imagine a World Without Hate” video and action campaign and an intrinsic part of the benefit reception and art auction taking place this Thursday, October 22, ArtWorks ADL: Justice, Advocacy & Art. Held at the Beverly Hills home of Jeanne and Tony Pritzker, the event features over 40 LA-area artists, contributing works that are inspired by ADL’s mission.
According to Diane Lazar, Director of Major Gifts Pacific Southwest Region for the ADL, the Pritzker home was the location of the ADL’s Centennial event in 2013 for an art auction. The location was so successful that they’ve opened their home again. “We turn their dining room into a gallery for a silent and live auction. The works presented are reflective of ADL’s mission fighting hatred and bigotry of all kinds.” Lazar notes that a dozen artists who participated in the Centennial event are also participating this time around. “This time we’re working with an art advisor and a committee of some of our top donors and collectors. We went to galleries and artists seeking both established and up-and-coming artists with diverse backgrounds.”
The event features small bites, cocktails, and of course art and the artists themselves. “We had approximately 400 attendees at our past art auction event, and expect about the same this year. It’s a win/win for us, our guests, and the artists. The artists are doing something special for us by donating a piece, and we’re able to introduce their work to our guests,” Lazar says.
Tickets are still available to the event, which raised $410,000 for ADL programs in 2013. Lazar hopes to match those contributions this year. “The art is phenomenal, the Pritzker home is amazing, and everyone who comes is guaranteed a lovely time.”
And the art selection? “We know our donor base well, and we selected pieces that not only reflect our mission but that our donors and attendees will fall in love with in a couple of hours on a Thursday night,” she notes. “The artists will attend, and they love talking about the inspiration for their pieces.”
One returning participant, Dan McCleary, runs the non-profit Art Division, a professional training program that mentors young adults ages 18 to 25 studying the visual arts in LA’s Rampart district. “In 2013 we included one of his students in our auction, this year we’ve invited that artist back as well as including four other Art Division students,” Lazar says. McCleary’s own contribution to the event is his elegantly formal portrait “Erica de Casas,” an etching which reflects McCleary’s own inspiration from the world of old European masters.
Other artists include Jason Shawn Alexander, whose piece “Blues 1, 2014″ is a mixed media portrait of a musician that combines figurative and abstract elements; Kenturah Davis whose “Ambiguous, 2011,” is a portrait of a mysterious man veiled by stamped letters; and Damien Hirst’s framed, signed poster,“Cornucopia, Away From the Flock, Divided.” Hirst’s sculptures of real animals preserved in a glass tank of formaldehyde are also a part of The Broad Museum’s recently opened collection. This piece is available via raffle, with tickets on sale at the event.
Los Angeles art critic Edward Goldman, host of KCRW’s Art Talk mentions several other works including Eric Johnson’s cast-resin sculpture “Intergalactic Verde,” George Legrady’s photographic image of Jaffa Gate “Jerusalem, 2013,” Aaron Smith’s humorous portrait “Bachelor, 2008,” and Mike Saijo’s mixed-media “Oak Tree,” which juxtaposes photo images with the pages from books printed in different languages. Other art presented includes paintings by Andrew Hem, Aaron Morse and Aaron Smith; mixed media pieces by Craig “Skibs” Barker, Seonna Hong, and Ruth Weisberg; sculptures by Brad Howe and Laddie John Dill; photography by Julius Shulman; and drawings by Raffi Kalenderian.
100% of the proceeds from this stellar event support ADL programs to combat bigotry of all kinds including anti-Semitism; all purchased art includes complimentary local delivery from Box Brothers.
Sponsorships and tickets are available for purchase. For more information and to register, visit the ArtWorks ADL website, adl.org/ArtWorksLA.
- Genie Davis; Photos: Courtesy ADL, Shoebox PR
