Last of three parts

The Baum School of Art annual auction is one of the most fun-filled events on the Lehigh Valley arts and cultural calendar.

The Baum auction, a glittering light on the fundraiser circuit, attracts hundreds of art devotees to the school’s center city location for an evening of fine art and frivolity.

There’s the silent auction of work by Lehigh Valley artists past and present with some 200 pieces displayed in the David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries.

There’s a scrumptious buffet dinner from Catering by Karen Hunter in the Fowler Community Room.

There are walkers displaying more than 100 paintings and art work as auctioneer Boris Wainio booms home the bids.

Yeah, that didn’t happen this year.

COVID-19 once again has canceled conviviality.

What is expected to happen is a virtual, or online version, of the Baum School 35th Annual Art Auction.

When the Baum virtual art auction will occur depends on guidance from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

Lehigh and Northampton counties are scheduled to go from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown Red Phase to the Yellow Phase June 5.

The specifics for arts and entertainment organizations, restaurants, concerts, theater and the like aren’t completely known.

It is known it isn’t the Green Phase.

As of the deadline for this article, art auction details are still being worked out by Baum School of Art Executive Director Shannon Fugate, who May 6 announced postponement of the May 16 auction because of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Baum School formed a committee, but not just any committee. It’s a Reopen Committee.

“Our committee has experts in medicine, technology, education, legal, science and industry, and design,” says Fugate in a May 13 email to the editor of the Lehigh Valley Press Focus section.

“We know the timeline is unknown but we want to be prepared when the time comes to open, that we do so with the health and well-being of our community as top priority,” Fugate adds.

The Baum School Reopen Committee includes: Chair, Dr. Steven Zelenkofske, Executive Vice President-Chief Medical Officer, Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Derek Grim, Baum Board President, ServiceMaster Clean franchise, and Walter Baum’s great grandson; Janet Gross, Chair, Baum Facilities and Technology Committee; Atty. Howard Stevens, Baum Trustee, of the Gross McGinley, LLP law firm; Ravi Bains, Baum Trustee, of Advanced Research System Cryogenics, and Joshua Miller, Baum trustee and Professor, Communication Design, Kutztown University.

“Our goal is to monitor the data and guidelines around the unfolding crisis and plan for a safe reopening when the time comes,” says Fugate in the email.

Art enthusiasts can “bid online from the comfort and safety of their own home,” states the May 6 Baum press release.

Stated Fugate in the press release: “Although we are saddened that we will not be able to hold this fun, energetic night, filled with art in person, we are excited for the virtual version of the event that has the possibility to reach even more art patrons and collectors.

“It is our hope that we will be able to hold our 35th Annual Art Auction at the end of June. This fundraiser is not only important for The Baum School of Art, but also for the over 50 local artists who sell their work in this auction,” states Fugate.

The May 6 press release emphasizes that the Baum staff “needs to be able to safely organize artwork drop-off from local artists, as well as a curbside pickup of purchases.

“Additionally, the school is working with Catering by Karen Hunter, who normally provides the buffet dinner at the Auction, to be able to offer a curbside pick-up dinner option for those who would still like to get the full auction experience.”

“We’ve decided on an online platform. We’re going to use a program called givergy. It’s an online auction platform,” says Fugate in a May 13 phone interview.

“We went through a whole process of looking at online platforms and we chose this one for an art auction and for the size and scale of items that we usually have.

“We also needed to have a platform that would let us show good images of the art work.

“If, for some reason, we’re able to have in-person operations prior to the auction dates, we might have people to come in to look at the artwork. But we’re planning for a completely virtual event,” says Fugate.

The Baum auction typically has 100 to 110 items, including paintings, sculpture and ceramics, in the live auction and 200 to 250 items, including jewelry, in the silent auction.

“We think we’re going to have bidding open for one week, as opposed to one day. There might be featured items, rather than a live and silent,” Fugate says. “Everything that we have collected, starting in January, will be featured.”

An art auction print catalogue, under consideration, is expected to have a different format.

A video is planned with a message from Baum auctioneer Boris Wainio.

“How can we have the 35th anniversary without the message from Boris?” asks Fugate.

“We need to be able to receive the art properly. If we move into Yellow, I think we’d be able to get all of the art work delivered safely,” Fugate continues.

The Yellow Phase might allow curbside pickup for purchasers of the art.

Fugate credited, in addition to the Reopen Committee, the Baum School staff, which continues to work from home; Shelbi Rodale Stoneback, Chair of the Baum Marketing Committee, Baum Trustee, Auction volunteer and head walker organizer, and Holly Harter, Chair of Baum Development Committee and great grand-daughter of Walter Baum.

“Holly really helped us shape what the virtual platform would look like,” Fugate says.

“Once we move to Yellow, we’re going to try to put it together as fast as we can,” says Fugate of the art auction. Possible dates are the end of June or soon after July 4.

Moving into the Yellow Zone may also allow the Baum School 10-week summer camp to take place with in-person instruction.

“We have a whole committee that’s working on that. We have a remarkable board of trustees that’s cut out for this. Our board president, Derek Grim, owns a ServiceMaster. He’s the great grandson of Walter Baum [founder of The Baum School of Art]. He’s an expert in cleaning and sanitation.

“The chair of the Reopen Committee is a medical doctor and researcher, Dr. Steven Zelenkofske. For legal expertise, we have Atty. Howard Stevens. For design, IT [Information Technology] and education, there’s Janet Gross.”

The Baum Reopen Committee was gathered together in April.

One of the highlights of the Lehigh Valley arts scene are Baum School gallery exhibition opening receptions.

“I don’t think you’ll see us putting out a plate of cheese for a long time,” says Fugate, adding there will probably also not be complementary wine and refreshments.

“The important thing is that we mitigate risk and have the arts community come together. I would gladly sacrifice the cheese board,” Fugate says.

“How can you have the building open? How can you open the doors safely? It’s going to take a lot of creative thinking. Luckily, the Baum School has a lot of resources in that department,” says Fugate.

The Baum School is a community nonprofit. It’s technically not a public school, nor a child-care facility. There are classes for adults.

Where the Baum School is on the spectrum of guidelines imposed by the office of the Pennsylvania governor, the commonwealth Department of Education and Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t entirely certain.

“We’re looking at all that, to make a plan that works for our facility,” Fugate says.

“Your risks in ceramics might be different than in painting or metalsmithing. And your risks with children might be different from working with teenagers or adults.

“I’ve talked to the staff. We have to look at reinventing our entire organization, if that means virtual classes, different ways of hosting events, different ways of designing our classrooms, and different ways of reaching our community.”

For example, the Baum School watercolor classroom has 18 drafting tables. Removing nine tables would comply with one of the prohibitions, that of gatherings no larger than 10. There would be nine students and one instructor.

There may be fewer students, more classes and sanitization in between each class.

“We have to look at every detail in how we function with respect to the pandemic and that may affect everything,” Fugate says.

The 35th Baum auction will be the 11th art auction for Fugate, in her 10th year as Baum executive director.

“I celebrated my 10th anniversary on lockdown,” says Fugate.

Notes the Baum School press release:

“As for many cultural organizations, nonprofits and small businesses, this pandemic is a financial strain on our school. Please visit our website for ways to help. Make a donation, buy a gift certificate, register for summer camp, follow us on social media. Anything is appreciated and helpful.”

According to its website:

The Baum School of Art is a community visual arts school dedicated to enriching lives through arts education. The school is committed to providing instruction, guidance and encouragement for children, teens and adults who wish to reach their full potential through the study of the visual arts.

The school celebrates diversity and welcomes all community members, regardless of gender, social status, race, or beliefs.

In 2018-2019, The Baum School of Art served more than 4,200 students through tuition and community outreach programs on-site at the school and off-site.

The school holds approximately 350 classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and metalsmithing, fashion design and construction, photography, graphic design, illustration and more.

The Baum School’s David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries hold more than 12 gallery exhibitions annually of regional, national and international artists, as well as student work and juried exhibitions.

Information: www.baumschool.org

Paul Willistein is editor of the Focus features section in the eight Lehigh Valley Press newspapers and on the eight Lehigh Valley Press websites. Email Paul Willistein: pwillistein@tnonline.com; friend Paul Willistein on facebook and follow Paul Willistein on Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram.