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Watauga County Arts Council Art Instrumental Auction Underway; Ends on October 29th

The Watauga County Arts Council (WAC) invites one and all to participate in their first Public Arts Silent Auction fundraiser, happening now. The silent auction features retired instruments that have been refurbished into new works of art by local artists. In addition, these instruments served another purpose over the summer by offering a fun way to explore the businesses of Downtown Boone by participating in the Art Instrumental Scavenger Hunt.

“Art Instrumental Scavenger Hunt” is a collaborative project organized by Amber Bateman, the Director of WAC, Mark Freed director of the Jones House Cultural and Community Center, and Lane Moody coordinator for the Downtown Boone Development Association (DBDA). The group came up with this idea to activate community engagement with local artists while also providing a fun summer activity for residents and visitors. In addition, this project offered the Jones House a chance to honorably offload retired instruments while still celebrating Boone’s rich history with music.

The scavenger hunt lasted from June through September. Hundreds of people participated and received prizes for completing the quest that were collected at the Jones House or the Watauga County Library.

All of the instruments are now on display at the King Street Art Collective in downtown Boone for in-person viewing for the duration of the virtual silent auction.
There are 24 instruments including, fiddles, violins, guitars, a banjo, and more. You can visit the gallery and see them in person or view them online through the silent auction page or on their website, watauga-arts.org (current events drop down menu – “Public Arts: Art Instrumental”)

The Watauga Arts Council aims to increase the visibility of the arts within the High Country through murals, sculpture, arts placement, and events. As such, they created a Public Arts Fund dedicated to funding public arts projects in Watauga County. The scavenger hunt participants kickstarted the fund by paying a dollar to vote for their favorite instruments throughout the summer. As a result, close to six hundred dollars has already been raised.

The Public Arts Silent Auction offers a perfect conclusion to the Art Instrumental Scavenger Hunt. Money from the silent auction will be added to the funds generated from the summer voting to start the new Public Arts Fund. Bidding is only available online, now through October 29th, at 7:30 pm.

A closing reception will be hosted on October 29th, at the King Street Art Collective from 6-8 pm. Artists will have an opportunity to give a quick talk about their instrument and meet and mingle with potential bidders. Bidders can access the bidding site from their phones to continue to bid throughout the event. Final bidding will conclude at 7:30 pm. Any winner who is there in person may leave with their instrument, but you do not have to be present to win.

The link for the auction is on the Art Instrumental page on the Watauga County Arts Council website.

For questions or more information, contact Watauga County Arts Council at 828-264-1789 or email info@watuga-arts.org. The King Street Art Collective is located at 585 West King Street, Boone NC 28607.

Details of the Silent Auction:

  • ●  Virtual Silent Auction Site: https://wataugacountyartscouncil.betterworld.org
  • ●  Artist Reception and Final Viewing: October 29th, 6-8pm
  • ●  Auction is live now
  • ●  Auction Ends at 7:30pm on Friday, October 29th
  • ●  Final announcements by 8pm
  • ●  If the winner is at the reception they may bring their instrument home with them.