Tickets are now on sale for the 50th Anniversary Patrons’ Show Fundraiser!

If you’ve been before, reading that sentence was like hearing Santa on the rooftop. But if you don’t know about Patrons’ Show, here’s a short guide to our biggest event of the year.

Important dates

• Tickets go on sale: Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 10:00 am (purchase tickets online)
• Drawing: Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 4:00 pm

The big idea

The Patrons’ Show Fundraiser is all about taking home artwork at a bargain price while having a lot of fun. You pay $225 for a ticket that guarantees you one artwork worth at least $225. This is The Art League’s biggest fundraiser, supporting our gallery and outreach programs.

The basics

Once you’ve got your tickets, here’s how things will go down:

1. Preparation: Artwork images are posted online and on the Art Thief app, and the artwork itself is displayed in our gallery. Make a list of your favorites, a minimum of 100 pieces long! See below for tips.
2. The drawing: Ticket holder names are drawn and called in a random order. When you hear your name, call out the number (not the title or artist) of the artwork you want, loudly and clearly. Congratulations!

How to prepare

As you can tell, it’s not enough to just pick your favorite — it might be gone by the time we get to your name!

• There are a number of tools to help you make your list:
  • The latest program (a list of artwork numbers, titles, and artists, available in PDF or Excel) will be posted closer to the event on the main Patrons’ Show page
  • Every piece will have a photo in the 2018 Flickr album
  • The Art Thief app makes organizing a snap (free on the App Store and Google Play)
• Before you finalize your list, make sure to view all the artwork in person in the gallery. After all, it’s the artwork that will be hanging in your home — not the photo of the artwork!
• If you’re using the app, be sure to update one last time before you leave home on Sunday. There’s no public wifi in the building, and data might be iffy.
  • You can email your list to yourself (Options → Email List) as a backup.

Enjoy yourself

The Patrons’ Show Fundraiser has been described as a block party. Here are some guidelines for an enjoyable experience:

• Refreshments are welcome. Please keep your coolers small enough to fit under a chair, and please — no tables, other furniture, or food deliveries.
• Unfortunately, there is no room for babies or pets. They wouldn’t have a good time, anyway: it gets crowded and noisy.
• On that note, please keep your conversations at a low volume. It’s important to make sure people can hear the announcements, names, and numbers being called out.
• Please remain seated until the announced breaks.
• Be kind to your neighbors.

Don’t miss out

The main drawing isn’t the only fun to be had!

First choice raffle: The first choice raffle is a separate drawing that happens just before the main event. When you buy a ticket, you mark the piece you want most of all. A single ticket is drawn at 4:00 pm, and the piece marked on it is set aside for that lucky person to pick up! You do not need a regular Patrons’ Show ticket to participate.

Raffle tickets are $15 each or two for $25, available for purchase online until February 16 in the gallery up until 1:00 pm on the day of the event.

After-auction: There will be a few pieces left over at the end of the drawing. Join us immediately after for the aptly named after-auction, where you can get more artwork for a steal! You’ll register for a paddle and bid on artworks just like in a regular auction.

Door prizes: The last few names called each round get special prizes!

Questions

Any questions we didn’t answer? We want to make your first Patrons’ Show experience a good one! Call us at 703-683-1780 to get in touch.