New Art from the Attic pre-auction to be held on Sept. 26

St. Vital

Local art lovers now have even more opportunities to add to their collections while supporting a great cause.

That’s because the non-profit Grands ‘n’ More Winnipeg — which is busy preparing to hold its annual Art from the Attic event on Sunday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at St. Vital Centre (1225 St. Mary’s Rd.) — is debuting another fundraising initiative this year.

The group is excited to showcase some of the art collected for this year’s campaign at an Art from the Attic pre-auction event, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 26, also at the mall, near the former Bay store. Viewing will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the auction will start at 7 p.m. The auction will consist of 25 lots, some of which will contain one more than piece of donated art.

According to a statement, a list of the auction pieces is available at grandsnmore.com, and creations include works by artists known locally and internationally in a range of genres and sizes. Pieces include works by Wanda Koop, William Kurelek and Marilyn Settle.

“This is a lead up to the main event, and I encourage people to visit our catalogue online,” said Jean Altemeyer, a key volunteer and the co-chair of this year’s Art from the Attic event with Donnie Fridfinnson, said.

“The variety of items at the auction is amazing, and there will be information at the auction about each item,” she added, noting bidders will be given paddles for the auction.

“Maybe this is a little more of a casual opportunity for people to bid at the auction. We want it to be fun.”

Altemeyer, who lives in Lord Roberts, said pieces that are “quirky, unusual, and interesting” will be front and centre at the auction.

The southwest Winnipeg resident said Grands ‘n’ More Winnipeg continues to feel “so supported” by Winnipeggers, and when some people find out about Art from the Attic they “agree it’s a good idea.”

“It’s a win-win because people get to find good art, support a good cause, and things aren’t ending up in a landfill,” Altemeyer said.

The main event, Art from the Attic, will include thousands of items of artwork. As always, proceeds from the initiative will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which supports grandmothers in sub-Saharan African countries.