MASS MoCA - 3-2-1! Spring Gala

The auction will take place on April 6 at our 3-2-1! Spring Gala. If you cannot attend, you can still place bids for the auction items. Please fax or email you absentee bid form by noon on Friday, April 5.

Download Absentee Bid Form (PDF)

Mark Dion
Hunting Standards
2012
Silkscreen on paper in four parts
Each: 16 x 20 inches (unframed)
Edition of 25 with 12 APs
AP5
Each signed, dated and numbered lower recto

Mark Dion, whose show The Octagon Room is now on view at MASS MoCA, is an intrepid American artist who tackles the politics of representation in the fields of history and science, seeking to uncover the structures that govern the natural world and man’s categorizing of it. “My work is not really about nature, but rather it is a consideration of ideas of nature,” Dion says.

Dion’s work has been exhibited in museums worldwide, including the Tate Gallery, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Natural History Museum, London. (A show of Mark Dion’s work is currently at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York until April 13th.) MASS MoCA fans may recall that Dion created a site-specific installation here in 2005, Library for the Birds of Massachusetts, which featured 12 zebra finches in a 17’ tall aviary.

Estimated value: $3,000
Donor: Mark Dion
Minimum Bid: $1,000
Bidding Increment: $200

“The artist Mark Dion could be considered the leading contemporary dramatist of environmental disaster and accidental survival.” --Holland Cotter, The New York Times

Moyra Davey
Blue
2010
C-print, tape, postage, ink
12 x 17.5 inches
Edition of 25

Through photography, writing, and video, Moyra Davey explores the fragments of daily life and the effects of time. In 2011, she sent photos-as-letters of MoMA archives and her own to exhibit in the museum’s New Photography show and, in 2012, she participated in the Whitney Biennale. Dust, old diaries, a pile of newspapers, a collection of LPs, five years’ worth of empty liquor bottles-Davey considers these banal, forgotten artifacts, revealing their inherent, quiet beauty and sense of melancholy. Davey, along with Jason Simon, also organized the One Minute Film Festival; her films and a poster can be seen at MASS MoCA in the exhibition One Minute Film Festival 2003-2012. Her works are in the collections of numerous institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Blue, part of an edition made at Kunsthalle Basel, will be mailed by Davey to the winner, whose address and name (and other aspects of postage) will become part of the work!

Estimated value: $1,000
Donors: Moyra Davey and Murray Guy Gallery, New York
Minimum Bid: $400
Bidding Increment: $100

Sanford Biggers
Cloud
2012
Raw cotton, wire mesh
34 x 29 x 33 inches

Note: Installation requires a simple eyehook and small carabineer that can be easily installed by the winner or an art handler.

Sanford Biggers, whose work The Cartographer’s Conundrum filled MASS MoCA’s signature Building 5 gallery last year, is an interdisciplinary artist who works in film/video, installation, sculpture, music, and performance. His art frequently references American ethnography, hip-hop music, Buddhism, African spirituality, urban culture, and icons from Americana. His work has been presented internationally at institutions including the Tate Modern, London; the Whitney Biennial, New York; The Kitchen, New York; and Prospect 1 in New Orleans. He teaches at Columbia University.

The cotton used to make Cloud was specially ordered from North Carolina. Sanford explains:
Once the backbone of the American economy, made on the backbones and blood of African slaves, cotton is perfect in its bittersweet-ness. Fluffy, soft and light, it is easy for many to forget the forced labor and blood lost to extract it. In cloud form, cotton suggests transcendence. In fact, the first depiction of what historians deem the precursor of Whitney's cotton gin was in a Buddhist painting from 5th century AD. And much like the lotus in Buddhist lore, which rises from the bottom of the muck and mire to blossom radiantly on the water’s surface, a cotton cloud floats subtly, ethereal and ephemeral, denying the violence of the conditions that made it “king” and transcending history's gravity through its mysterious levity.

Estimated value: $3,500
Donor: Sanford Biggers
Minimum Bid: $1,000
Bidding Increment: $200

“This is a way of looking at history and transcending it, looking at it as a celestial reference as opposed to [an earth-bound], very downtrodden representation. To me it has a little bit more of a heavenly reference... There is a lot of history embedded in the materials themselves. The politics are in the materials, the message is in the materials.” -Sanford Biggers

Robert Rauschenberg
Study for Chinese Summerhall (Fire Drill)
1983
Ed. 11/30
C-print
40 x 30 inches

Robert Rauschenberg, “the irrepressibly prolific American artist who time and again reshaped art in the 20th century,” according to The New York Times, helped obscure the lines between painting and sculpture, painting and photography, sculpture and dance, technology and performance art...the list goes on. No American artist, Jasper Johns once said, invented more than Mr. Rauschenberg. Rauschenberg’s massive The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece was featured in MASS MoCA’s signature Building 5 gallery at the museum’s 1999 opening.

Tonight’s work is from 1983, when Rauschenberg travelled to China and made hundreds of photographs. From his earliest days as an artist, when he stated he wanted to “photograph the country inch by inch,” Rauschenberg used photography to record, compose, confront, and reflect life around him.

Estimated value $3,500
Donor: Jane Eckert, Eckert Fine Art, Millerton, NY
Minimum Bid: $1,000
Bidding Increment: $200

Set of 8 Plates by Jenny Holzer

In 2002 Jenny Holzer created these limited-edition plates for a MASS MoCA benefit in collaboration with Bennington Potters of Bennington, VT. We kept this set of 8 plates reserved until a special occasion, and what better timing - all things are indeed interconnected, and we appreciate our longstanding relationship with Jenny, a conceptual artist who is our neighbor, friend, and international artist who presented Projections, her first interior light projections in the United States, in our Building 5 gallery in 2008.

Since the late 1970s, when her aphoristic Truisms and her Inflammatory Essays were first posted anonymously around New York City, Jenny Holzer’s work has spoken out about many topics, including violence, oppression, sexuality, feminism, power, war, and death. Writing is the basis of Holzer’s practice, and her work has been exhibited worldwide in museums and public spaces.

Founded as a one-man design pottery studio in 1948, Bennington Potters is perhaps best known for its two-fingered stoneware mug (which is contained in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art). Please note: these plates require special handling and are not dishwasher-safe.

Donor: MASS MoCA
Minimum Bid: $300
Bidding Increment: $50

“Jenny Holzer has spent the last three decades pelting us with unsettling and increasingly relevant portents of things to come.” -Roberta Smith, The New York Times

Outdoor Adventure

Accompany Williams College geology professor Bud Wobus on a pleasant 2.5-hour hike up Stone Hill in Williamstown to learn about the Purple Valley's 500-million-year history as told by geological formations. Top off your tour with a picnic box lunch catered by Mezze. Relax those weary muscles afterwards with a couples massage for two at Tsubo Massage in Williamstown. Note: The tour is available for a weekend from May 2013-May 2014, scheduled by you and Professor Wobus. Couples massage (for two) may take place anytime with a scheduled appointment, and two single massages may be arranged instead of a couples massage.) Box lunch is for 5 guests plus Professor Wobus.

Donors: Bud Wobus, Mezze Catering + Events, and Tsubo Massage
Minimum Bid: $50
Bidding Increment: $25

Two tickets to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

The longest running program on Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has garnered critical acclaim, receiving two Peabody Awards for its coverage of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections and 18 Primetime Emmy Awards. Known for his humor and tackling geopolitical hot-button issues, Stewart made his show part of the conversation on political matters. The show is filmed in New York City, and runs year round. Guests should be there at 4:30 pm. (When arranging your preferred date, if you choose to go this summer please note that Jon Stewart will be taking an 8-week hiatus this summer; his temporary replacement is Daily Show regular John Oliver.)

Donors: Jamie Tarses
Minimum Bid: $50
Bidding Increment: $50

David Byrne’s Here Lies Love in New York

Two tickets to this musical world premiere at The Public Theater in New York
Saturday, April 13, 9:30pm

Concept and Lyrics: David Byrne
Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim
Choreographed by Annie-B Parson
Directed by Alex Timbers

Within a pulsating dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, retracing her rise to power and descent into infamy at the end of the People Power Revolution, filtered through the musical imagination of David Byrne, one of the great American artists of the last half century. Here Lies Love is neither a period piece nor biography, neither a play nor a traditional musical, but an immersive 80-minute theatrical event combining songs influenced by four decades of dance music, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a 360-degree scenic and video environment to explore the tragic consequences of the abuse of power. Dancing is encouraged!

MASS MoCA’s relationship with David Byrne - the creative force behind Talking Heads - began 17 years ago with Desire (1996), Byrne’s first solo museum show, which was in the raw unrenovated mill space that would become MASS MoCA. In 2012 Byrne returned to North Adams for a 3-week residency (sponsored by MASS MoCA, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and The Public Theater) with Annie-B Parson and Alex Timbers to develop Here Lies Love, the unique theatrical musical experience that tonight’s lucky winner will get to see.

Donor: MASS MoCA
Minimum Bid: $75
Bidding Increment: $25

“If MASS MoCA was a person, it could be David Byrne -- multi-disciplinary, post-industrial, innovative, international, versatile, theoretical, commercial, recycled, post-modern.”
-Seth Rogovoy, The Berkshire Eagle

World Premiere Musical: The Bridges of Madison County
4 tickets to this Williamstown Theatre Festival performance
August 1-18

Quite a buzz was created when it was announced that WTF would premiere the musical adaptation of the best-selling novel The Bridges of Madison County, about a lovelorn Italian woman in Iowa and a photographer/loner who reawakens her passions. With music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (a Tony winner for Parade) and a script by Marsha Norman (who won a Tony for The Secret Garden and a Pulitzer Prize for night, Mother), the musical will be directed by Bartlett Sher, who won a Tony for South Pacific. More than a few WTF productions have gone on to Broadway, and we’re betting on this one. This package of 4 tickets, to be used between August 1 and 18 (estimated value $500), includes champagne before the show with WTF Artistic Director Jenny Gersten and Development Director Eric Kerns, as well as a backstage tour.

Donor: Williamstown Theatre Festival
Minimum Bid: $200
Bidding Increment: $25

This private Caribbean villa is located in the secluded hills above St. Jean (the village at the heart of the island). With beautiful ocean views and lush vegetation, the villa has 3 bedrooms/3 baths and is stylishly decorated with antiques as well as contemporary furniture by Christian Liaigre. Suitable for families or couples, there's room to relax and dine in the shade on the covered terrace, under the flamboyant tree, or by the pool just outside your door. Amenities include daily maid service except Sundays and holidays, a/c in the bedrooms, Internet, DVD, and ping pong table. Available for one week between May 1 - December 15, 2013 (excludes Thanksgiving week).

Estimated value: $3,900
Donor: Bobbie Crosby
Minimum Bid: $2,000
Bidding Increment: $200

“Probably the most elegant and exclusive of the Caribbean islands, St. Barts is the place to go if you’re after peace, pristine white-sand beaches, calm aqua waters, super stylish accommodation and gourmet restaurants.” Condé Nast Traveler

Dinner with Jay “I don’t do sitcoms” Tarses

Jay Tarses may be one of Hollywood’s oldest and funniest TV writers, and the lucky winner will get to have dinner with him, either locally at Mezze in Williamstown or in Los Angeles at Paddy Aubrey's Hyperion Public (transportation not included). Beginning as a staff writer on The Carol Burnett Show and The Bob Newhart Show, Jay went on to create some of TV's most acclaimed sitcoms (such as The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and Buffalo Bill). In this century, he was co-creator and co-writer for the BBC Radio situation comedy set in colonial-era Baltimore, Revolting People, in which he also played the role of sour shopkeeper Samuel Oliphant. You and a guest can ask him all about the business, enjoy his irascible wit and style, or just eat and chew in awkward silence. You might want to ask him about his flunking out’ story (class president of Williams ‘61, he flunked out of Williams twice) and he just might answer. Note: Jay’s available for dinner mid-July through mid-September 2013 in the Berkshires or after mid-February 2014 in L.A.

Donor: Jay Tarses
Minimum Bid: $150
Bidding Increment: $25

It’s Entirely Fabricated

Ever wonder what’s behind those white gallery walls? Go beyond the exhibition and get a sneak peek into the art-making process by shadowing MASS MoCA's art fabricator and installer, Richard Criddle. You’ll begin with a behind-the-scenes tour of an exhibition, and then prepare to roll up your sleeves and help for a few hours. You can continue the conversation about the inner workings of MASS MoCA over lunch with Richard and Director Joe Thompson. Perfect for yourself, your teenager, a college student, someone who’s contemplating different career options, or who’s just plain curious.

Donor: MASS MoCA and Richard Criddle
Minimum Bid: $50
Bidding Increment: $25

“(MASS MoCA’s group shows are) logistically mind-bending.” -Sebastian Smee, The Boston Globe

Octopus Adventure in New York

This is a day of curatorial hijinks in New York with MASS MoCA’s performing arts curators. Working with our curators in the Village, you’ll observe cultural programming in action, eat West Village falafel, and learn what it means to “have an octopus meeting” during this unique day-in-the-life-of experience. In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at The Palm (a classic New York steakhouse) with Rachel Chanoff, MASS MoCA’s vegetarian curator of performance and film, and a MASS MoCA performer or filmmaker.

Donors: MASS MoCA, Rachel Chanoff, and The Palm Restaurant
Minimum Bid: $200
Bidding Increment: $50

Boston Chocolate Walking Tour

The winner is treated to two tickets to a Boston Chocolate Walking Tour. Enjoy a 2.5-hour guided walking and tasting tour of select chocolate shops, bakeries, and cafes on historic Newbury Street. You’ll learn about the history and creation of chocolate as you eat your way through “the sweetest tour in town”. This certificate is good for 2 tickets on any public tour, based on availability. Tours take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday year-round (excluding major holidays).

Donor: Boston Chocolate Walking Tours
Minimum Bid: $25
Bidding Increment: $25

“Lace up your sneakers for this calorie-burning, one-and-a-half-mile stroll across town.”
-Where Magazine

Hopkins gate at Williams College

Cherry Cottage Tour and Lunch

One of the oldest houses in the Berkshires, Cherry Cottage in Stockbridge has retained its original basic design and location since it was built in 1782 by Judith Williams Thayer. A remarkable collection of important figures in Berkshire and national history have called it home, including Mark Hopkins (President of Williams College from 1836 to 1872, who was born at Cherry Cottage), Judge Theodore Sedgwick, lawyer David Dudley Field, surgeon Charles McBurney, artist Jarvis Rockwell, and astronaut Story Musgrave. The story of Cherry Cottage is told in a new documentary - Cherry Cottage: The Story of an American House -- being shown at the Boston International Film Festival in April and the Berkshire International Film Festival in June. Hans and Kate Morris have recently completed a historical restoration of Cherry Cottage. Join them for lunch and a tour of the cottage and a lively historical discussion. Date to be agreed.

Donors: Hans and Kate Morris
Minimum Bid: $100
Bidding Increment: $50

Foraging with Russ Cohen

Our northwest corner of Massachusetts is home to over 100 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. Take up to 24 of your friends on a 2-hour early evening ramble with expert forager Russ Cohen, author of Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, at the base of Mount Greylock to learn about at least eighteen species of edible wild plants. Pending favorable weather conditions, several wild edible mushroom species may be encountered as well. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with information on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe and environmentally-responsible foraging. This walk is education-focused; there won’t be much time for gathering. Do note that many (if not most) of the wild edibles encountered are readily available elsewhere!

Available dates: the evenings of Tuesday, May 14; Wednesday, May 15; Thursday, May 16; and Wednesday, May 22.

Donor: Russ Cohen
Minimum Bid: $25
Bidding Increment: $25

Four tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Here’s a chance to see a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Hollywood with three friends. Comedian, actor, producer, and television host Jimmy Kimmel (also rumored host of next year’s Oscars) is “charming and seems like the guy you’d grab a beer with,” says The Daily Beast. You may also remember Jimmy’s comic jabs at the political and media elite, among others, in his speech at the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. These four tickets also include exclusive access to the Green Room. (Please note that guests must be at least 21 years old to go into the Green Room and access doesn't include necessarily meeting Jimmy or guests on the show.) The show is filmed in Hollywood, and runs year-round. Guests should be there at approximately 3:00pm.