Anyone looking to give the gift of local art this holiday season can look to Hancock Town Library, 25 Main St.
The library is running a silent art auction through Saturday, Dec. 16 in the Daniels Room. Patrons and members of the public can view the art whenever the library is open. Bidding will close on Dec. 16, and winners will be announced on Dec. 17. The auction can be viewed Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The auction is not online.
“I call people every time they get outbid,” said librarian Amy Markus.
Helen Bickford, longtime chair of the Friends of the Hancock Library, created the auction in memory of her sister, Rita Cullen. Most of the art in the auction came from Cullen’s collection of art created by Hancock artists.
“Helen asked me if I wanted to do a silent auction to benefit the Friends and I said, ‘What a great idea!’” Markus said. “We have so many talented artists right here in Hancock it’s incredible.”
Friends of Bickford and Cullen jumped in to help, including Heidi Mack, who coordinates the library’s art exhibits; photographer Gary Shepherd; and Bickford’s husband Lawrence, a photographer. Shepherd and Larwence Bickford donated works of art, and Mack began calling Hancock artists to ask if they would contribute to the auction. The list grew to include Evelien Bachrach, Peter Bott, Sue Callihan, Francelia Clark, Kim Cunningham, Kate Frame and others.
“Someone also donated a small Danny Thibeault, and Kin Schilling actually created a painting just for us and sent it all the way from Colorado. There’s also a Jane Simpson,” Markus said, noting some well-known local artists.
The Friends of the Hancock Library support programming for the community, such as the library’s digital resources, including audiobooks, magazine subscriptions and movie downloads available through Kanopy. The Friends also contribute to large maintenance projects.
“We recently installed heat pumps, which was a huge expense that the town helped with, but the Friends helped as well. They’ve really been incredible. We really rely on them to keep this library going,” Markus said. “This is a chance for people to get some really great art for a bargain price.”
