Bid on work from Pittsburgh artists at virtual auction fundraiser

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of how and when artists can make and share their art. Galleries have been forced to close their doors, and many arts institutions have had to funnel their money into surviving the pandemic instead of supporting artistic endeavors. With this in mind, Bid to Fight COVID — which started last May — returns with a second virtual auction, featuring artists from Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. On Sat., March 13 from 6-10 p.m, the virtual auction will be broadcast live via the Art Shopping Network.

The Art Shopping Network is an organization with the goal to “socialize art buying.” Part of their mission is to foster relationships with foundations that are doing good in their communities using art as a throughway.

“Artists translate these stories of life — both lived and mediated — reminding observers where they are and what they need to remember about themselves and the world around them,” says Maxwell Young, founder of Art Shopping Network in a press release about the event. Some of the featured Pittsburgh artists are big in the local art scene, including BOOM Concepts’ DS Kinsel, Bekezela Mguni, Camerin “Camo” Nesbit, Quaishawn Whitlock, and Paradise Gray, among others.

Young describes this endeavor as “a barometer to measure and make sense of our collective pandemic experience, our humanity’s state at the beginning of a new decade.” Any period of life looks bleak without art in it. Whether it is TV, music, or visual art, people rely on it to connect with the world around them. Bid to Fight COVID presents a unique opportunity to engage with art in a way that has previously only been offered to the very wealthy; it also allows the art buyer to support necessary causes.

The auction will support local and national organizations including 412 Food Rescue, Martha’s Table, D.C. Arts Center, Fund for Advancement of Minorities through Education, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.