Art and Design Auction

The Kansas City Art Institute hosts an art and design auction every other year as a benefit for student scholarships. Auction items are donated by faculty and alumni, and classic 20th century design pieces are acquired with assistance from local design and architectural firms.

The 2011 Art and Design Auction took place on June 4 on the KCAI campus. KCAI's eighth biennial auction showcased the creative talents of our internationally renowned alumni and faculty and featured unique specialty packages and upscale design pieces. The event included both live and silent auctions, live student art demonstrations, open bars, a gourmet dinner and entertainment. Proceeds from the auction benefit the student scholarship fund. More than 95 percent of KCAI students receive financial aid.

View auction guest photos taken by Starbase Projects.

View work featured in the 2011 auction.

View live auction work.

Committee chairs

Honorary chairs

Gary and Pam Gradinger

Event chair

el dorado inc

Special auction curator

Julian Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Patron solicitation chairs

Steve Metzler
Bill Zahner

Patron party chairs

Tom and Mary Lou Brous
David Hughes
Rick Powell
Josh Shelton
Frank Uryasz

Alumni chairs

Cyan Meeks ’95
Eric Sall ’99 and Rachel Hayes ’99

Faculty chairs

John Ferry ’92
George Timock

Design items chairs

Dan Maginn
Douglas Stockman

Special packages chair

Kathy Aron Dowell

Ambiance chair

David Dowell

New friends chairs

Richard and Mary Wetzel

Volunteer chair

Patrick Robichaud

Finance chair

Hal Brent

Sponsors

Ultimate underwriter

Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation

Special sponsor

DST Systems, Inc.
Gourmet Dinner sponsor

Bryan Cave LLP / Nancy and Herb Kohn
Cocktail Hour sponsor

Belger Cartage Service, Inc.
Auction Catalog sponsor

Golden Star Inc. / Pam and Gary Gradinger
Silent Auction I and II sponsor

Kornitzer Capital Management, Inc. / John and Carol Kornitzer
Silent Auction III sponsor

KC Magazine
Print media sponsor

Major underwriter

Halls Kansas City
Mrs. Robert A. Marshall
Margaret Silva
Sosland Foundation

Underwriter

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City
Commerce Bank
Dorothy and Bill Curry
Metzler Bros. Insurance
Meg and Bill Zahner
Annie and Rick Zander

Major benefactor

Robert and Phyliss Bernstein
Mary Lou and Tom Brous
Betty and Jordan Bushman
DEMDACO
Gastinger Walker Harden Architects
Adele and Donald Hall
Bush and Jamie Helzberg
Carol and Dennis Hudson
Linda and Topper Johntz
Bill and Peggy Lyons
Pat and Beth McCown
Janet and Marshall Miller
Sherrill Mulhern
Jeannette Nichols
Bradley and Linda Nicholson
Randy and Sandy Rolf
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
Mr. and Mrs. Morton I. Sosland
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP
George Terbovich
Jane Voorhees
Clyde and Katie Wendel

Benefactor

Suzie Aron and Joseph Levin
BKD, LLP
BNIM Architects
Faye and Mike Davis
Entertainment Properties Trust
James B. Nutter & Company
Teresa Meagher and Brad Manson
Missouri Bank
Susan and Lewis Nerman
Rick and Betsey Solberg
Sprint
JoAnn and William D. Sullivan
VML Foundation
Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.
Maurice A. Watson

Patron

Suzanne E. Allen
Diane Botwin, Botwin Family Partners, LP
Celebration Party Rentals
Robert Claassen
Sherry Cromwell-Lacy and James W. Lacy
Gould Evans
Nancy and Rick Green
Jack and Karen Holland
Julie and Mike Kirk
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Kunz
Cindy and Jay Longbottom
Merrill Companies
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Moffett
Dr. Robert and Barbara Nash
Barbara and Bill Nelson
Jack and Georgia Olsen
Mark and Sandra Spencer
Ann and Frank Uryasz
Frank and Helen Wewers
Mark and Pam Woodard

Individual patron

Gregory M. Glore

Young patron

Patrick and Whitney Hosty
Matthew and Jesse Hufft

Special in-kind donors

Amigoni Urban Winery
André’s Confiserie Suisse
Laura Huliska Beith
BOSE
Eric Brace
Brookside Party Warehouse
Stuart Bury
Jeremy Casper
Kathleen Collins
Constant Care Grounds Management
Peter Cowdin (A. Bitterman)
Crick Camera
Dave Smith the Lamp Maker, Inc.
el dorado inc
Lisa Campbell Ernst
Fidel’s Cigar Shop
First Watch
Genesee Royale Bistro
The Greensman, Inc.
Great Harvest Bakery
Holyfield Vineyard & Winery
Doug Hudson
K. Oatman Design, LLC
Katrina Schulze Design
Knotty Rug Co.
Livestock Exchange Building
Pedro Martin
Matney Floral
Nell Hills
Paul Mesner Puppets
Pech Limousine
Isaiah Powers
R Bar
Dana Regan
The Roasterie
Rosehill Gardens
Samsung
Spangler Graphics
Sprint
George Timock
Ultra Lawns, Inc.
Waldo Pizza
Westin Crown Center
Jenny Whitehead
Pete Whitehead
Michael Wolfe

Sculpture competition

Zahner, an internationally acclaimed engineering and fabrication company headquarted in Kansas City, sponsors a sculpture competition in conjunction with KCAI's Art and Design Auction. Current KCAI students are invited to compete by submitting complex designs to be engineered and fabricated by the experts at Zahner using digital-to-physical processes and quality craftsmanship.

Zahner donates the metal, the engineering and design assist services, as well as the fabrication of the final piece. The artworks are then sold at the auction. All proceeds go to the student scholarship fund.

This year's competition winners were Wen-Dan Lin (ceramics) and Skye Livingston (fiber). Learn more.

Maquette of Wen-Dan Lin's piece.