White Rabbit Galleries takes a stand for local art by sitting down
PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA McCUNE | BGNN
Mim Daniel shows one of the unique chairs she created with a beautiful fresh coat of paint and a fairy garden for White Rabbit Galleries first CHAIR-ity auction. Some chairs are available to be bid on now through a silent auction and some will be up for bids at the live auction during the event Oct. 18 in front of the gallery in downtown Barberton. Tickets available now and at the event.
More than 50 chairs have been donated by area artists from counties in and around Summit ranging from a doll-sized 3-D printed chair to stools and child-sized chairs to desks and large comfy chairs. Each chair has a story and artists have shared their inspiration and what White Rabbit Galleries means to them. Visit www.whiterabbitgalleries.org.
In June, Lincoln Garner, of New Franklin, joined other passersby during the Magic City Arts & Music Festival in decorating this collaborative community piece thanks to a paint-filled water gun. Local artists began to paint their chairs over the summer for the auction.
By CHRISTINA McCUNE
BGNN managing editor
BARBERTON This is some cool local news – are you sitting down?
A local art gallery is putting on its first fundraiser. Creativity and community are combining in a big way. Area artists are lending their time and talent to raise money for White Rabbit Galleries in downtown Barberton, and art lovers will have unique items to bid on and take home.
Are you on the edge of your seat yet?
Pull up a chair and gather around to learn more about it.
White Rabbit Galleries, 571 W Tuscarawas Ave., hosts its first Chair-ity Art Auction Saturday, Oct. 18, which organizers hope to make an annual event.
The plan is for this year’s proceeds to go toward a much-needed ceramics studio complete with wheels, shelving, and electric work for kilns. Future plans also include a Makerspace at White Rabbit Galleries.
“The whole goal is to make more art more accessible to more people,” said Miriam Daniel, resident artist and board member who teaches at White Rabbit and is chairperson for the auction.
More than 50 chairs have been donated by artists from in and around Barberton. They’re all different shapes and sizes – one is a doll-sized 3D-printed chair and a couple colorful stools are in the mix – and they each tell a story. Artists have been creative with designing the chairs and coming up with a catchy title and people can read about their inspiration and story behind the artwork. Artists also shared why White Rabbit Galleries is important.
“We’ve had an amazing response,” Daniel said. “How different they all are is one of the things that’s absolutely amazing.”
Donations have come in from half a dozen counties, she said.
“Just beautiful things and fun whimsical things and lots of interesting definitions of what chairs are,” Daniel said.
Some of the chairs are available now as part of a silent auction through Oct. 18 on White Rabbit Galleries’ website. People can get a sneak peek of some of the chairs for the live auction also on the website.
Daniel highlighted a school chair and desk titled “Old Skool” by Adam and Emily Beck. “This item harkens back to a bygone era of high school and graffiti covered desks BUT with a modern twist!” according to the description. The chair and desk include: Bluetooth speaker, FM radio, wireless charger, remote control, and a plug to attach a microphone for karaoke. “We were inspired by our childhood and growing up in Barberton in the ’90s,” according to the description of the chair on the White Rabbit Galleries website. “We’re both Barberton graduates, and we are very proud to have been taught by some of the best teachers.”
The chairs themselves are wooden, metal, plastic and other materials. Some chairs have been painted, some have things glued on, and others have handmade fabric. A comfy looking chair is truly representative of the community because anyone was welcome to come by White Rabbit during the Magic City Art & Music Festival this summer and spray the chair with paint via a water gun.
Barberton High School students created chairs that will be perfect to decorate a home this Halloween – and year-round.
The description for a chair entitled “Marcel & Train (graffiti) by Rae Faba reads: “So I said to myself, “What if this chair did something that a mid century cafeteria chair would never do?” I towed this plastic monstrosity around for three months, photographing it in various locations”
This silent auction item available to be bid on now includes the chair signed by the artists and a framed photo of one stop on the journey.
The community is invited to the Chair-ity Auction Oct. 18 in front of White Rabbit Galleries. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event includes entertainment, food and beverages. People are welcome to bid on many of the chairs now in a silent auction. Photos of some of the live auction chairs also are on the website. Tickets are available in advance or at the event. The event is free to those 16 and younger who must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are $35 each plus an online service fee. VIP tickets are available through Oct. 16 and are $100 plus a $2.50 ticket service fee.
Attendees can also pop in to White Rabbit Galleries and enjoy “Chroma” a top-notch juried art show that will still be up during the Oct. 18 auction. White Rabbit Galleries is open 4-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Visit the White Rabbit Galleries Facebook page for more information and visit www.whiterabbitgalleries.org/chairityauction to bid on silent auction items and buy tickets to the auction. White Rabbit Galleries is a 501c3 organization founded in 2021 by Laura Smith and Molly Brown and is volunteer-run providing art exhibits, space for artists to show and sell artwork, resident artist studios, art classes, workshops and more.
