i have 11 minutes while this file exports

....so i thought i'd write about last night. my dear friend who is one of the sweetest and most ambitious people i know (she's a new yorker), stephanie dodes (www.stephanie dodes.com), organized a benefit for two children's charities, and asked a bunch of bay area artists both famous and emerging to donate work to be auctioned off. for the children!

i was asked to donate, so i thought i'd contribute an oldie but a goodie:


this got me a free ticket in the door, with all the free sapporo and gin and tonics i could handle (2 and 3 respectively, as it turns out. i had work to do that night).

i have always been suspicious of the "benefit" form of charity- it seems like a really nice way for rich people to feel good about themselves without having to get their hands dirty, in fact, they get to dress to the nines and get wasted and buy art "for the cause". but you know, events like this are important in their own right. and we still need people at the grassroots level, but there's no reason to turn away part of the spectrum of giving, just as long as the spectrum is broad.

....maybe that's the free booze (and organic catering! oh, bay area) talking...

the only problem was i think dodes didn't get enough really rich people in the door- the crowd was mostly artists and the bids were low. my piece sold for a hundo, to a really sweet woman who collects buttons. all the pieces sold, though, and i'm sure on art alone she made like 2 grand. and that's not even counting ticket sales. so in general i think it was a real success... FOR THE CHILDREN! i can see dodes doing a lot of this in the future. she's someone to watch out for.

it was the first time i'd been out in a while, and it was nice to get dressy and be "on the list". i've never been "on the list" before. and the event was a nice walk from my house, so i got to enjoy the night a little.