Hello everyone out there in blogland! Today is a very important day for me. Not only is it the first time I have ever had a blog (woah! welcome to the 21st century!) but it also signifies the beginning of a fundraising project I’ve been working on the past few months.
Today, June 20, 2010, marks day one of “Getting Myself to Grad School”. In an effort to raise money for the seemingly endless monetary blockades (i.e. moving fees, tuition payments, etc.) that stand between me and the San Francisco Art Institute, I decided to begin a fundraiser/ art auction that will take place this summer. It begins with this new blog and me working out the kinks of how this all works, how ebay works, how auctions work, etc. and ends with an in-person art show at a local gallery here in Portland called FalseFront.
A little about myself – My name is Michelle Ramin. Hello! Nice to meet you. I am a visual artist – a painter and drawer mostly – who has been living and working in Portland, Oregon for the past almost 5 years. You can check out my work at www.michelleramin.com. I have been working as a bookkeeper for a local art supply store for the entirety of my Portland existence and, throughout that time, have also been creating a ton of new work, showing all over the country and selling artwork all over the world. It’s been super exciting! But, I think it’s time for a new adventure…
Last fall, I decided to apply to graduate school. I found out in March that I have been accepted to the San Francisco Art Institute for my MFA in painting. Hooray!!! However, working at an art supply store leaves me with very little spending money let alone saving money. The cost of moving alone, nevermind all of the tuition fees, living expenses, etc. of graduate school (you don’t even want to know!), to San Francisco (one of the MOST expensive cities in the country!) is going to be next to impossible…
… except for the fact that thinking outside of the box sometimes really does make a difference!
With this being said, here is my project:
Intent: To auction off as much of the artwork as I have in my studio for as much money as possible in order for me to go to SFAI for my MFA this fall.
How is this going to work, you may ask? Simple. Every day, beginning June 24 until July 24, I will be posting a new piece of art up for auction on this site. You may choose to bid on this piece or hold out until a piece you really love shows up days later. It will be available for bidding for 24 hours, from midnight until midnight the day the piece is posted. I will start the bid very low and also list the retail price (my “normal” price) of the work so that you know how much of a deal you are getting. Some pieces may start at 5 bucks, others 500 depending on how large the work, how much time I’ve spent, how much money it took to make the piece, etc. On July 24, I will be ending the online auction and having an opening reception at FalseFront in NE Portland where you may come and bid on larger, more expensive pieces. It will be a beautiful show as well as an art sale, and we are also working on having a BBQ during the day and perhaps even a homemade ice cream social. It should be tons of fun! So come on out!
With all of this being said, I’m going to need a lot of help. Fundraisers can’t happen without people to bid on the work, so please spread the word! I will be eternally grateful to any and all contributions, no matter how large or small! With all of your help, I will get to grad school at the end of the summer – thank you all ahead of time for this! I owe you big time!
In the next few days, I will be working out the kinks of this whole thing – hopefully culminating in a seamless fundraising auction without any flaws. Remember that I am new to all of this so bear with me as best as you can.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! You all are amazing and I really appreciate each and every one of you.
Until my next blogpost….
xoxoxoxo!!!
-Michelle
P.S. Tell your friends!
P.P.S. a sneak peak at a piece I’m just finishing up for the show at False Front in July:
Michelle Ramin's Blog 
Shell rules! Just thought I’d state the obvious…
I’m holding out another day 🙂 I like this one.. but want to see more… do you have a sneak preview option available to sisters? 🙂
laaaanes! you can buy a couple if you want… hehe just sayin’! also, just below my blog header in the black box where it says “about” it also says “gallery – art for auction” if you click on that, it will show you all of the pieces that will be up for sale. they are all in order too. i think i also emailed you the image with all of the different pieces and the day. go check your email! love you!!!
lol… haven’t gotten an email i don’t think
what’s your email addy? i think i still have your school one.