KDUR’s annual Furniture As Art is going to look a little different this year.
Actually, it’s going to look a lot different: This year, the Fort Lewis College radio station is moving the event completely online because while we’re (hopefully) coming to the end of the line with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s still a good idea to take a conservative approach when it comes to big events, like the Furniture As Art fundraiser.
“It’s a totally new format, we’ve never done this before, but, of course, meeting in person and having a big event and food and drinks and all the stuff we normally do, we’re not quite ready to do that yet, so we were like, ‘How can we do something similar – still have people engage in KDUR and end up walking home, or, I guess, picking up, some amazing art to take home?’” said Meryl Ramsey, development director for KDUR.
Ramsey said even though the format of the auction is different, artists were still excited to contribute. KDUR is using the Handbid app, which FLC helped select.
The auction goes live at 8 a.m. May 14 and runs through 8 p.m. May 21. The auction features an array of items: stools, baskets, hats, jewelry and a stained glass guitar.
Be sure to check out the “Throne Chair” created by Dr. Michael J. Sexton, which is inspired by the legendary King Arthur. It is built with three legs, a concept that came from a famous Japanese chair, according to a description on the auction website. The seat is modeled after an old farm tractor seat and the chair features detailed inlay work. It’s made with American hardwoods including, hard rock maple, Amish cherrywood and American black walnut.
And if you’re in the market for a bike rack, check out “Bite Rack,” a functional bike rack by Noah Stotz and Monica Louise.
“T
If you go
What: Furniture As Art, online auction and annual fundraiser for KDUR.
When: May 14-21.
Where: Online at https://bit.ly/3xNC9IR.
More information: Visit https://bit.ly/3xNC9IR.
hey’re all so unique, the thing about Furniture As Art is the pieces are truly one of a kind, and that’s what makes people so excited to come because you never know what you’re going to find,” Ramsey said. “I am really excited about the chess board, ‘The Queen’s Ham Bit,’ I love that. And I thought it was a good connection to quarantine and stuff because I think during the early parts of that, maybe not initially during ‘The Tiger King’ phase, but later with ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ that came out and I think the whole world watched it, and it’s something that a lot of people were talking about throughout that process, and I just love that was (Maureen May’s) inspiration. Another one, I’m always excited to see what Lisa Pedolsky does. She is a ceramic artist who did a plinth with candles. She has amazing work and she is such a helpful person during the auction terms of just providing guidance and helping us figure out starting bids and talking through everything, she’s been a really big help to us.”
KDUR holds fundraisers throughout the year: There are two membership drives and Cover Night, where local bands perform the songs of a chosen iconic band. But, Ramsey said, there’s something different about the station’s Furniture As Art event that keeps loyal listeners coming back every year.
“Furniture As Art is unique because it has this interesting element in the sense that a lot of the stuff is recycled, so they find something that maybe would have been thrown away, and they turn it into something beautiful that then people would want and put in their homes,” she said. " ... when I was meeting with artists last year before the auction, I went to some of their studios or to their homes, and met with people, and there would be people there who said, ‘This is from Furniture As Art two years ago. This is from Furniture As Art from five years ago.’ And they would show me these pieces in their houses and it’s like, these are people who come every year that collect these pieces and they look forward to it and they really want to support the radio and they want to support these artists that support us.“
katie@durangoherald.com
