RAISING THE GAVEL!

From a humble grassroots beginning the MassArt Auction has grown to become one of our institution’s most recognized and bounteous events. Few know, however, about the Auction’s origins and how it evolved to become the event it is today. This exhibition highlights several facets of the Auction’s early history and its formation within MassArt’s Fine Arts 2D Department.    The very first Art Auction at MassArt was held in 1977. Conceived by the Painting department’s Student Painting Association (a predecessor to the SGA), it began with a single altruistic goal: to provide scholarships to financially strapped students. The auction began by soliciting drawings, paintings, and prints first from students and faculty, then from alumni, and grew over the following years to include works from the FA3D department and other visual media. In 1989 the Massachusetts College of Art Foundation took over governance of the auction to benefit scholarship aid and program support across the entire campus.    The early years of the Art Auction cannot be introduced without giving due acknowledgment to its Founder and Chief Auctioneer - Dean Nimmer. Dean was Professor of Painting and Chairman of the Fine Arts 2D program at MassArt from 1983 to 2001. A prolific and internationally respected abstract painter and teacher, Dean’s teaching career at MassArt began in 1970. He retired thirty-five years later, in 2004.    In 1987 Nimmer initiated the Celebrity Auction and collected auction-worthy ‘art’ donations solicited initially from politicians on Beacon Hill and later from international celebrities like Whoopie Goldberg, John Updike, Bob Dylan, and more!     The modest FA2D Art Auction of 1977 was the historical precursor of the today’s MassArt Auction, which is overseen by the College’s Foundation and which now raises more than a million dollars each year. The current exhibition highlights the early history of that auction, and how it grew to become the auction that it is today, while highlighting its initial goal of raising scholarship funds for needy students.     This exhibit and the adjacent exhibit The Art of Lobbying are dedicated to the memory of their Founding Father - Dean Henry Nimmer (b.1945 - d. 2023).

West Tower Lobby

Rowan

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

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Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Boston Bars and Restaurants: Events and Openings

Food & drink experiences in Boston

Food & drink experiences 

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RAISING THE GAVEL!

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