Hundreds of fine art prints will be auctioned Friday night to raise money to help abused and neglected children in the northwest suburbs.
Organizers of the 17th annual Shelter Inc. Art Auction hope to raise more than $20,000 at the event at the Schaumburg Marriott, 50. N. Martingale Rd. Viewing begins at 6:30 p.m., and the auction starts at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.
“It’s a low-key cultural activity that helps get Shelter’s name and message out there,” board member Pat LaMont said.
The money will support programs of Shelter Inc., a non-profit agency that provides support and housing for abused children and teenagers. The agency provides education, foster care and two housing facilities for teens.
The agency works to keep children close to home.
“If there’s a disturbance, within the hour, we can have that child in a foster home generally within 5 miles of where they live,” LaMont said. “The idea is to keep them in their neighborhood so their life is as uninterrupted as possible.”
The agency expects more than 300 people to attend the auction. More than 300 pieces will be auctioned, including reproductions and signed and numbered prints of work by such artists as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Winning bids are expected to range from $50 to more than $2,000, with most between $50 and $250.
“There’s something for everybody,” said Eric Steiner, president of State of the Art, Fundraising Art Auction Ltd. of Nashville, which supplies the artwork.