November, or simply the end of the year, marks an increase in auction or benefit-related art events in the greater NYC area. These events are usually the initiative of non-profits, as they take great deals of energy and time (human), and don’t really return much financial gain (money – more later).

Auctions proper include The Kitchen’s Benefit Art Auction, this time next week, and Swiss Institute‘s annual benefit dinner and auction, a little more than a week after The Kitchen’s event. Other events which artists who read this should still feel inclined to contribute to include Artists Space’s annual Night of 1,000 Drawings and my personal favorite, which I’ve previously mentioned, the 2006 Visual AIDS Postcards From the Edge benefit.

The latter being my favorite because it actually focuses on a specific benefit: AIDS awareness and research, and is simply using ‘art’ as a vehicle to drive home these issues.

Of course these events are now starting to become routine, a staple of the annual art market overturn, something more and more cultural locations are picking up on, and so the question then becomes what of them is of interest or original anymore? (maybe for another post, after the fact, eh?)

And let’s face it, money has everything to do with these benefits! That’s what they’re for: raising money. So as an artist it’s a little tough to stomach when both Visual AIDS and Artists Space have this year jacked up the prices of works to purchase (by $25 and $10 respectively). Of course things are still reasonable, a steal even, at around $50 average for works of art; but last year I had to prepare and save money to buy works by fellow artists, whereas this year the time is now and I’m ill-prepared, so I doubt I’ll be picking up more than one work between these two shows. Thankfully they still allow artists free entry, and with the right crowd (i.e. your crowd, or my crowd) can be a lot of fun, talking with each other about the really good crap and the really bad crap on the walls, including your own work! The other events, the auctions proper, I wouldn’t have a clue about. With $150 entry fees (for The Kitchen; S.I. don’t even LIST their door fee!!) and works in the upper hundreds to start, with most going into the thousands, I’d rather sit at home and surf youtube.com for contemporary art than raise a toast to it!

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