The traditional in-person experience of art might have temporarily receded into the past, but for local artist Lorraine Fink, not even a pandemic could keep her art from the community she loves.
Last month, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC held a hybrid 10-day art auction of a collection of Fink’s paintings. Fink donated the work to support visual arts programming and classes at the JCC.
Through May 10, the Leon Family Gallery is exhibiting nearly 100 pieces from this 96-year-old award-winning artist. This collection comprises less than half of her completed works from the last 36 months. Multiple generations of Fink’s family enjoy her creations, with one grandchild recently asking where her talent stemmed from and pondering to whom she may have passed it on.
Created with mixed mediums, mostly ink and watercolor, the pieces in this collection have a central theme of symbolic freedom and playful morphing.
With an eye towards safety, the bidding and purchasing of Fink’s art turned to cyberspace, where a virtual platform enabled hopeful bidders the opportunity to own one of these works. Dozens of people have already taken a journey into the artistic world of her creations, and many pieces were successfully auctioned off. With multiple bids coming in, the virtual art auction was a surprisingly fun and engaging experience.
“UJFT and Simon Family JCC wish to convey a heartfelt thank you to the Fink family for their generosity in donating the paintings and to our auction sponsors, Yianni’s Wine & Food and The Royal Chocolate, for their support and partnership!” says Betty Ann Levin, executive vice president/CEO, UJFT/JCC.
While the days of live auctions, exhibit openings, and crowds of people meandering through a gallery are not what they have always been, the Leon Family Gallery is open.
A selection of paintings are still available for purchase. Contact Kerri Cohen at kcohen@ujft.org or 757-965-6138 for more information.
– Kerri R. Cohen