The Rotary Satellite Club of Paris will be hosting its third annual Priceless Art Auction on Friday, February 28, 2025.
Dale Hall, co-Chair of the priceless art auction committee, said the event is designed to not only help support the Rotary Club, but to encourage residents to get involved with volunteering in the community.
Unlike conventional auctions where people compete for art pieces with monetary offers, the event has participants bidding with volunteer hours instead.
“The successful bidder is the one who is willing to complete the most community service hours over the following year,” said Hall. “They can volunteer wherever they want. In fact, it doesn’t even need to be within the Brantford-Brant limits; it can be anywhere and for anything, as long as they provide us with sign-off sheets confirming they’ve completed the hours. Once the hours are done, the bidder gets to come and collect their new art piece.”
Hall said the priceless art auction was inspired by an event he attended in the past.
“I had attended an event similar to this format down in Niagara. There was an under-30 group that was part of the Chamber of Commerce and they hosted an event just like this in conjunction with the Brock University art program,” he said. “When we first started this club, we had a fundraising committee where I kind of just threw out the idea of a silent art auction, and everybody got on board which was great. I’m fortunate enough to know Taren White from the Taren White Gallery in Paris, and I reached out to her with the idea and she was supportive of it as well.”
Since then, White has helped curate a selection of original pieces, many of which are created by local artists, for the annual event. Hall said this year, seven lots are currently available for bid, though they’re hoping to have up to ten come the event day.
Overall, Hall said himself and the rest of the team are looking forward to another great event.
“Everybody likes art and everybody wants to support the local community,” he said. “A lot of our members are younger professionals and so I know for us, It’s just a great way to have a fun night out and mingle with like-minded people. On top of that, if you want to take home some nice original art, all you have to do is volunteer which, is just another way to do something that feels good either by yourself or with someone else.”
For those interested in attending, the price of admission will include passed appetizers from Paris Beer Co., live entertainment from Brandon Corke, a Hamilton-based musician, and of course, the chance to mingle with like-minded individuals.
To find out more about the event, including ticket prices and to see what pieces will be up for auction, visit the Rotary Satellite Club of Paris’ social media pages, or check it out on Eventbrite.
The Rotary Satellite Club of Paris is an affiliate of its parent club, the Rotary Club Brantford-Sunrise.
“We are a service club, much like the Lions or the Kiwanis,” said Hall. “Our members predominantly live in the County of Brant, and we do service projects and fundraisers within the county and for the community.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
