I’ve participated in BUILT – Historic Albany Foundation’s charitable auction – for the past 13 years. It’s a fun charity night, and I’m happy when my artworks find new, appreciative homes.
This year’s BUILT auction will take place over this weekend at the Argus Hotel, 8 Thurlow Terrace in Albany, with online bidding commencing at 5:00 p.m. tonight (I’ll update the blog with the live link at that time).
Historic Albany Foundation’s main goal is to preserve the iconic architecture and history of this region. With BUILT originally focusing on artwork devoted to Albany itself, BUILT has recently expanded its view to show artistic concepts from Schenectady and Troy as well.
For me, although this is my 13th consecutive appearance at BUILT, this time my artworks will NOT reflect content from the City of Albany. Instead, I’ve chosen iconography from Slingerlands and from Green Island. Hey, it’s still Albany County, so I’m not completely abandoning my goals.
So if you go to the Argus Hotel this weekend … look for these three pieces.
WE SERVE WAYWARD STRANGERS
This photo was shot in Albany County, at the confluence of where Kenwood Avenue and New Scotland Road merge into Slingerlands. It’s a triple-award winner – second place at Iowa, second place at the New York State Fair, and second place at the Durham Fair. The print submitted to BUILT is a large print and was previously exhibited at the Altamont Fair.
ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, GREEN ISLAND
This is what happens when you go outside, it’s snowing like crazy, and you’re trying to superimpose the location of a 125-year-old postcard upon the structure of a corner church. Well, I did it.
And it worked out well enough that … I did it again.
MCGOWAN HOSE
This one picked up an honorable mention at the New York State Fair, and features a vintage “real postcard” photo of an old horse-drawn fire pumper against the foreground of the still-standing McGowan Firehouse in Green Island. That building is now an apartment complex.
My plan is to attend BUILT tonight and see the hundreds of fantastic paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and mixed media created by the Capital Region’s top artists. I’m attending tonight, because Sunday I’m off to Watchung, New Jersey to see four of my other artworks (including a print of We Serve Wayward Strangers) at the New Jersey International Photo Exhibition.
Yeah. This is going to be lots of fun. Trust me on this.
Chuck The Writer 