It’s not often one hears a silent auction described as “animated.” But that’s just how Meg Harris, owner of Akron’s Harris-Stanton Gallery, describes her annual Absolute Art Auction, the proceeds of which benefit the Akron Art Museum. What’s the secret? Vodka! “As the night goes on, people do bid more. But that’s good; the more they bid against their friends, the more the museum raises,” Harris says. There will be five or six vodkas on hand for tasting, and the bartender will be offering a surprise martini. But the star of the evening is the art: More than 70 works by local and international artists, including France’s Bernard Cathelin. Works cover every media — paintings, sculpture, glasswork, jewelry, ceramics, and bronze castings — and every price range. “We try to have something for everyone,” Harris says. The $10 entrance fee, plus ten percent of artists’ commissions, plus everything paid for the art over the minimum bid, and your drink tab, all go directly to the Akron Museum of Art. It’s win-win-win. It happens tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
— Elaine T. Cicora