Golden Gate Audubon holds online bird art auction

Our friends at Golden Gate Audubon Society are hosting an online auction of bird art now through June 1. It features 48 widely varied paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures of birds at http://goldengateaudubon.org/auction.

Auction proceeds will be split between Golden Gate Audubon and the artists, in most cases on a 50/50 basis.

“Non-profit organizations and artists are both facing serious economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Golden Gate Audubon Executive Director Pam Young. “This auction is a way to support both Audubon’s conservation work, and some of the talented artists who convey the wonders of the natural world.”

The auction offers art for all tastes and budgets, from prints of kingfishers and herons that open for bidding at $20, to paintings of chickadees and roadrunners valued at over $1,800. Along with items for bidding, there are items for sale at fixed prices, such as bird notecards by Berkeley artist Rigel Stuhmiller.

Perhaps the most unique item is a gift pack from best-selling author Amy Tan, who is also a proficient bird artist. The gift pack includes a set of bird notecards by Tan, plus autographed copies of her breakout novel, The Joy Luck Club, and her memoir, Where the Past Begins.

Another unusual item is a personal chalk art rendition of birds — made to order for the buyer’s sidewalk by artist Clay Anderson.

This is the first time in Golden Gate Audubon’s 103-year history that it has sponsored an online auction of bird art. The group came up with the idea when it had to cancel all its spring fundraising events because of the pandemic, creating a budget gap of tens of thousands of dollars.

“We couldn’t in good conscience auction off items like a vacation at Tahoe during a time of sheltering-in-place,” Young said. “But an auction of bird art is a triple-win. It helps Audubon continue our conservation work, it helps the artists who have lost jobs and commissions, and it will bring some inspiration and diversion to people who are stuck at home. Even if someone doesn’t want to bid, these varied works are wonderful to view on the auction site.”

For a peek at some of the art up for auction, flip through the slideshow below.