Blank canvas: Charity art sale making COVID comeback – Regina Leader Post

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Sherry Wolf believes that artwork should be seen to be appreciated.

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In fact, she’s counting on it.

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As one of the volunteer organizers behind Art from the Attic — a long-running charity event in Regina — Wolf is eager to help revive the annual art sale after it was cancelled for two straight years due to the COVID pandemic.

“It’s really exciting for us to be back in person,” said Wolf. “We’ve tried hard over the course of time to still be a productive group (during COVID). We’ve done some online sales. It’s just so much better when it’s in person, particularly when it’s an art sale like this.”

As the name implies, Art from the Attic relies on donations from the public. The pieces are sold for charity during a one-day event that runs Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre (2900 13th Ave.).

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There’s no entry free and the art is “priced to sell.”

The event is operated by the Regina branch of Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers, a national non-profit organization that partners with the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The Toronto-based foundation was created in 2003 to work with grassroots groups in sub-Saharan Africa. Funds are earmarked to support “grandmothers” raising a generation of children who’ve been orphaned due to AIDS and HIV.

According to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, it has raised over $40 million through the grandmothers campaign while contributing to 2,100 projects and 335 community-based organizations in 15 African countries.

The Regina group has been part of that initiative since 2006, but the arrival of COVID presented some unique challenges.

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“Like most non-profit organizations, we’ve all been struggling to try and do what’s normal for us, which is fundraise,” Wolf said. “It has been hard. We’ve had some creative ideas (to raise money online) … but it hasn’t quite been the same.”

If not for the pandemic, Art from the Attic would be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022. The Regina-based grandmothers are also closing in on $1 million in total charitable contributions since their organization’s inception.

“We’re well over the $900,000 mark,” Wolf noted “We do lots of small fundraisers so it’s a big deal for us to get close to that milestone. We’re hoping with this sale — or by early next year — that we’ll be able to do that. It’s exciting.”

In order to reach their goal, organizers are counting on people to make their artwork available for donation. There are four drop-off locations: Atelier Arts (2075 Albert St.), Benjamin Moore Elements of Colour (4350 Albert St.), Colourburst Paint and Wallpaper (551 Albert St.), and Independent Living (3870 E. Eastgate Drive).

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The deadline is Sept. 13.

“We typically get a push at the very end,” Wolf said. “We’re hoping more donations will come in. Our sale depends on the donations. It’s coming in but not as quickly as other years. It takes a while to get back in the swing of things.”

Art from the Attic only accepts two-dimensional pieces (no sculptures or pottery). Donations can be original artwork, prints, photos, water colour, acrylic, oil, metal art, fabric art, etc. — basically “anything that people are willing to donate to us that can hang on a wall.”

Before the artwork goes up for sale, it’s inspected, cleaned and refurbished (when necessary). That process might include replacement of the matting and frame to make it more appealing for potential buyers.

The end result is a piece of art that’s almost like new, even if it was gathering dust in someone’s attic.

“The Regina community is very generous with donations to us; I think people recognize it’s a good cause and it’s a way to recycle their art,” added Wolf, who expects the sale to be well-attended, if history is any indicator.

“People are (usually) lined up at the door on Saturday morning. People know it’s good art and there’s lots of great bargains. It has quite a bit of a following and we’re hoping that’s what happens this year.”

gharder@postmedia.com