CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ONLINE AUCTION!
March 12, 2021–Miller Art Museum is excited to announce the debut its silent auction, part of the organization’s upcoming virtual fundraiser, titled Hand to HeART: A Virtual Fundraiser Pairing Creativity + Comfort, on Friday, March 19 at 6pm. A highlight of the auction, debuting later in the week, is a cast glass sculpture by Door County artist Stephanie Trenchard titled Jessie Kalmbach Chase.
The silent auction, held online through Bidding Owl, will feature 20+ lots with fantastic variety including art-related gifts and dining, lodging and gift certificates. The auction is set to close the evening of the event, Monday, March 29 at 8pm CST. Local businesses and individuals who have supported the museum include: Dancing Bear, Door County Coffee and Tea, Dreamland Properties, Kick Coffee, Noel Bay Books, Saguaro Day Spa and Wellness Center of Door County, Sonny’s Pizzeria/Bridge Up Brewing Co., White Gull Inn, Madison Avenue Market, Invidia Salon, Avenue Art & Company, Waseda Farms, Queen Bee Soaps, Crate Sushi, Seafood & Steak, Third Avenue Playhouse, Tom Jordan, Emmett Johns, Linda Meyers, Renee McAllister, Julie Brogan and Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead. To donate to the silent auction donation, contact Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead at or call 920.746.0707.
Tickets for “Hand to HeART” can be purchased through the museum’s website at www.millerartmuseum.org. Prices vary and, not including a base ticket for admittance to the event, includes a selection of three dinner boxes that offer an assortment of local cheese, dried fruit, pot pies—the ultimate in comfort—dessert, and a voucher for wine to be purchased at Madison Avenue Market. The ‘Comfort Level Box 4’ will feature an original 8” x 8” work by one of 20 Door County artists: Rick Brawner, Janine Buechner, Helen del Guidice, Ed Fenendael, Pam Flanders, David Franke, Kathy Franke, Lynn Gilchrist, Liz Heller, Karen Hertz-Sumnicht, Christy Kelly Bentgen, Jeanne Kuhns, Margaret Lockwood, Liz Maltman, Susan Reynolds Smith, Rick Risch, Kristi Roenning, Cheryl Stidwell Parker, Deb Stroh Larson, and Buttons Wolst.
Keynote speaker Sarah Chance will emcee the event and guide attendees through an evening of tributes by those who serve and are served by the organization, a silent auction and highlight of the event: A behind-the-scenes view into the fascinating glass casting process with featured artist Stephanie Trenchard of Popelka Trenchard Glass—a working studio and fine art gallery in the heart of the Steel Bridge Creative District showcasing her cast glass sculpture and her husband, Jeremy Popelka’s, Murrini blown glass. The evening will culminate with the auction of a cast glass sculpture commissioned specifically for the event that features Jessie Kalmbach Chase, a pioneering female artist working on the Peninsula in the early-to-mid 1900s. The piece honors the connection to museum namesake Gerhard CF Miller and Women’s History Month, celebrates in March annually. Chase was born in Sturgeon Bay in 1879 and is best known for her Door County landscape paintings in oil, watercolor, and fresco as well as oil murals and serigraphy.
In lieu of an in-person event, the museum is inviting the public to support its efforts online this year to ensure the museum and the visual arts remain a vital piece of the downtown Sturgeon Bay and the cultural tapestry of the broader Door County community; patrons are invited to join from the safety of their home for a fun-filled evening pairing creativity and comfort. “Hand to HeART” is a virtual opportunity to celebrate the museum’s work and raise awareness for the continued support of the visual arts in Sturgeon Bay and the broader Door County and Northeast Wisconsin communities.