LACONIA — May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, with a goal to raise awareness of this important topic. To shine the light on mental health, and also to offer a fundraising event for the Lakes Region Mental Health Center, an exhibit and online auction of artwork is currently on view at Belknap Marketplace in Belmont. The Mental Health Art Auction is comprised of a wide variety of top-notch art. The theme of the exhibit is “Celebrating Mental Health and Diversity Through the Arts.”
“Art is a therapeutic way to relax and reduce anxiety. It is a positive emotional outlet to help manage mental health issues,” said Beth Vachon, director of development and public relations for LRMHC.
Vachon attended art school and has an appreciation for paintings and other media. Thus, she was eager to coordinate the auction and to make sure it was done well.
“I saw this auction as a chance to bring art to the public, and to do it right. This is our first year presenting the auction, and we will do it next year, as well,” Vachon said.
The auction has about 125 pieces, displayed throughout Belknap Marketplace so potential bidders can browse and then make bids online for their favorite paintings, prints, photographs and other art. After bidding ends May 31, LRMHC will get 30% of the proceeds from the sold artwork to support the center’s mission, which is to provide integrated mental and physical care and community education for the 24 towns served in Belknap and southern Grafton counties.
“Winning bidders will be notified at the close of the auction, and we will make arrangements for them to pick up their items. Or items can be mailed to the winning bidders,” said Madison Hendrick, marketing coordinator at LRMHC.
Although many artists have submitted work for the auction, the majority of the art came to LRMHC through the generosity and planned giving of a private estate. To call the artwork eclectic and joyful would be an understatement, as those who view each piece at the Marketplace or online will see. It is an important group of paintings, prints and more. Some of the pieces have great value, according to Vachon. The collection was owned by one person and most of the pieces fall into the pop-art category. The work is framed, and many pieces are limited editions.
“The donor started collecting in the 1980s. He created an inclusive collection with work by all kinds of artists,” Vachon said.
“The auction will raise awareness of how mental health is tied in with art and therapy. Also, it will honor the man who donated his collection to the mental health center,” she continued.
Along with the major donation from the estate, there are auction donations from individual artists, including a painting by well-known local artist Loran Percy, and also art from young people.
“This will be a chance for budding artists to show their work and potentially see it bid upon,” Vachon said.
Vachon is also an art collector, and she knows the joy of owning a favorite piece of art. She wants the auction items to be seen by Marketplace shoppers and mall walkers.
“Our mission is to be inclusive,” she added.
Local artist Larry Frates helped kick off the auction with a paint-along event at the Marketplace and will host another event later in May. Vachon speaks warmly of the community involvement and enthusiasm Frates has shown for the auction and his support for the event.
The second event paint-along, with a spring floral theme, is on Thursday, May 25, 6-8 p.m. at Belknap Marketplace. To sign up, visit eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-all-stars-paint-along-tickets-636536065507.
Browsing the art in the display, viewers will see a range of works, from colorful pop art to photography and even an unusual Warner Brothers Looney Tunes piece by artist Kirk Mueller. An Absolut print by George Rodrigue with the well-known Blue Dog image is also in the auction, as well as a gorgeous abstract landscape by Carolyn Arcabascio, a Lakes Region Community College instructor.
For those interested in bidding on auction items, the instructions are simple: visit biddingforgood.com/LRMHC to view items. You will find a list of the artwork where you can bid on each piece. This allows bidders to locate the art they would like to place a bid on and then to check back or bid higher over the remaining days of the auction, through Wednesday, May 31. Winning bidders can pick up their items after the auction concludes.
Vachon said various organizations and businesses in the area are participating in Mental Health Awareness Month by lighting up their buildings in green, including the Belknap Mill, Laconia City Hall and the Melcher and Prescott building.
“Green is the color of springtime and renewal,” Vachon explained.
The auction is sure to be a success, with a selection of art already showing bids. Thus, Vachon says the auction fundraiser will be an annual event. Those artists or collectors who would like to donate for next year’s auction can watch for details at lrmhc.org or email Vachon at bvachon@lrmhc.org.
Lakes Region Mental Health Center serves Belknap and southern Grafton counties. For more information, call 603-524-1100.
