WILMINGTON.- The Delaware Art Museum presents the “Take a Seat” 2008 Fall Fundraiser on Saturday, September 20, from 7:00 p.m. –; 11:00 p.m. This party is inspired by the current exhibition Garry Knox Bennett: Call Me Chairmaker, on view through September 21. There will be a live auction of finely crafted chairs and a silent auction of “seats” to restaurants, theaters, and sporting events. The Museum will also present fireworks over the Copeland Sculpture Garden , live music, cocktails, and delicious cuisine. Proceeds will help support the Museum’s educational programs.
Tickets are $80 for individuals and $150 for couples. Museum Members receive a discount and will pay $65 for individuals and $125 for couples. Couples can also elect to purchase a set of Master Craftperson tickets for $500, which includes two tickets, full bar service, and names in the evening’s program. (Other prices include complimentary beer and wine, with a cash bar for other drinks.)
Garry Knox Bennett’s one-of-a-kind sculptural chairs are a key part of the evening. During the live auction, some of Bennett’s chairs (including Modified Nakashima, inspired by the region’s own George Nakashima, and Upholstered Chair) will be available, straight from the Chairmaker exhibition.
In addition, Bennett recently stated in an interview with the News Journal that he would like to see visitors have a chance to sit on his latest piece, which he created for the Museum. This new chair, titled Was Madox Brown Here?, was inspired by The Arming of a Knight, a chair in the Museum’s Pre-Raphaelite collection that was produced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris. So, partygoers will have the opportunity to be photographed in Bennett’s Madox Brown chair (for a fee of $25), and take their photographs home that night.
Finely crafted chairs from around the region will also be up for auction, including one from Calico Corners and several surprises. At the silent auction of “seats” to restaurants, theaters, and sporting events, attendees will have the chance to bid on a number of great offerings, including season passes to the Delaware Theatre Company; an overnight stay at the Hotel du Pont; and dinner for six on the Museum’s Chihuly Bridge courtesy of Sodexo, the Museum’s award-winning exclusive caterer.
