What would it cost to get Mike Krzyzewski, Mia Hamm, George Clooney or Colin Powell to sign a chair for you--apart from a ticket to this Saturday's black-tie "Take-a-Seat" fundraising gala for the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, you can decide.
They and a host of other celebrities have signed pieces of furniture that will be auctioned off to raise money for cancer research, patient care, and supporting programs.
Some of these auction items have themes, such as a Batman chair that boasts George Clooney's signature, a Duke chest, a Carolina Hurricanes chair, and a table and chair set decorated for children. Other pieces are more classic, designed with unique artistic styles.
"The artists really took the event seriously. Kevin Trotter, an artist from Lexington, N.C., did a wire sculpture in a chair [with a pink ribbon] for breast cancer," Jill Boy, director of communications, said. "When I asked him how long he had worked on it, he told me since the beginning of the summer."
The chair with Colin Powell's signature, along with a table with Celine Dion's signature, are done by the nationally renowned 11-year-old artist Georgie Pocheptsov, whose work has appeared in cities such as Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. Even American Idol star Clay Aiken signed a chair.
Where did such big names come from? When the Board began planning over a year ago, they tapped into all the resources they could find. "Different members had friends with connections. Some were obvious, like Mike Krzyzewski," Boy said.
Although the event was successfully held twice in the past--once in 1993 and once in 1995, raising over $120,000 each time--the current Board hopes this year to supersede those totals.
"We are shooting for a goal of $150,000... and it should be do-able. Not only do people know that the money is going to a wonderful cause, but there are great pieces being auctioned off," Boy said. "This is really a unique idea and a unique way to raise money for research."
Ellen Stainback, officially the associate director of the Office of Development, yet unofficially referred to as the "Queen of Everything," is the mastermind behind the project. She co-chaired the '93 and '95 events and decided to begin the process this time around as well.
"We were looking for another project for the Board that would raise both money and awareness. I thought it would be a good time to bring this one back," Stainback said.
The auction's highlighted pieces of art began as nothing more than raw furniture twelve months ago. Led by Dr. Ralph Snyderman, chancellor for Health Affairs, and Kim Lyerly, director of the Cancer Center, gala honorary chairpersons Nancy Wright, Betsy Oakley and Penny Lambert bought these basic items and sent them out to almost 70 artists who donated their time, tools and talents towards decorating the furniture in styles of their choice.
"We are really pleased with what we got back from the artists. When you send the pieces out, you don't know what to expect, but we were incredibly happy with the returns," Stainback said.
The Durham community had a chance to see and bid on these pieces this past Sunday at a free public viewing of the works, an event also intended as an opportunity for the artists to see all the finished products together.
With a number of pieces already bid on, and the final event rapidly approaching, Boy, Stainback and the rest of the Board members can hardly wait to reap the success of all their hard work--and the moment when they, too, can take a seat.
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