Jan 29, 2014

One-of-a-Kind Auction Items to be Offered at Party for Life

Gift for Life, the gift and home industries’ charitable organization, announced today that the upcoming Party for Life silent auction will include twelve one-of-a-kind items, including handcrafted unique home décor and fashion pieces. The items have been donated by eight leading artisanal importers in connection with presentation of Gift For Life’s 2014 Bert Tonkin “Gift of Giving Award” to Clare Brett Smith, president emerita of Aid to Artisans. A new, online, auction service will allow viewing and bidding on the items beginning two weeks before Party for Life, Monday, February 3, in New York City..

Included in the auction:

1. Alpaca Throw from Creative Women. This alpaca throw, handwoven in a Fair Trade workshop in La Paz, Bolivia, combines the traditional herringbone design found in many South American textiles, with a contemporary use of color.

2. Three Jewelry Pieces from Faire Collection. The Carmen Cascade–dark and light açaí and pambil seeds add dimension and variety to a stunning classic. Polished Tagua Bracelet–the natural texture and gleam of tagua is highlighted in this polished bracelet. Moon Sliver Earrings–the tagua in these highly polished earrings is carved into a soft, organic shape reminiscent of raindrops illuminated in the moonlight.

3. “Sittiein” by Hudson Beach Glass. Made by casting hot glass into a reverse hand carved 3 piece graphite mold. On top of the three separate figures sits a centrifugally spun glass bowl. These colors are Smokey Quartz base with Citrine bowl in Beach finish

4. Swahili Imports’ Haitian Obeche Wood Scalloped Salad Bowl and Servers

5. Tesoros Trading Company®’s Glass Display w/ Multi Hearts. This is a collection of replicas of Old Italian Exvotos, which are handmade in India.

6. A coat from The joannajohn Collection. The coat is a riff on the classic Chesterfield. Artistically designed and executed, it is one-of-a-kind, cotton quilted, and reversible.

7. Pendant necklace from Tribalinks: an antique silver Moroccan (Berber) pendant, crafted from antique rare sherpa coral colored glass beads, silver and a silver “hand cuff” clasp.

8. Bamboula’s Turkana Baskets: traditional storage baskets hand-woven from doum palm fiber by semi-nomadic women living in the Turkana region of northwestern Kenya.

Honoree Clare Brett Smith was a craft importer for 15 years before joining the nonprofit Aid to Artisans, where she served as president for more than 20 years and helped to create economic opportunities for low-income artisan groups around the world. Believing in “trade not aid” – she brought Honduran cornhusk flower makers to Williams Sonoma’s Pottery Barn in the 1980s; Peruvian ceramics to Jonathan Adler in the ’90s; and then items such as Salvadoran hammocks, Macedonian rugs, Haitian metal angels and more to homes in the U.S. and Europe. Today, as an independent crafts professional based in Farmington, CT, Smith continues to be active in the industry – working with programs such as the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise, hosted by the Aspen Institute; and the HAND/EYE Fund and magazine.

The Party for Life auction will be administered by Gavel & Grand (Paddle 8) auction services, allowing for advance viewing of these one-of-a-kind auction items online before the event. Interested parties can view auction items, pre-register as bidders and submit advance bids through the website, www.GavelAndGrand.com/auctions/partyforlife, beginning January 20. Gavel & Grand uses mobile technology to notify bidders of their bid status, and alert them to competitive bids against items in which they are interested.

Make plans now to attend Gift for Life’s 22nd Annual Party for Life, benefiting DIFFA, on Monday, February 3, 2014, at The Boathouse in New York City’s Central Park. Individual tickets are $125, and sponsorships ranging from $500 through $25,000 are available. For details, contact Steven Williams at swilliams@diffa.org, (212) 727-3100.

Each year, Gift for Life hosts events throughout the U.S. benefitting DIFFA. The primary mission of Gift for Life and DIFFA is to eradicate the AIDS pandemic in the U.S. Working together, Gift for Life and DIFFA will continue to raise funds for HIV/AIDS service and education programs. For additional information please visit www.giftforlife.org. Follow Gift for Life’s efforts via their free e-newsletter, available at http://www.giftforlife.org/about_gfl/press-releases-and-newsletters/.

ABOUT GIFT FOR LIFE and DIFFA

Gift for Life unites the gift and home industries against AIDS with more than $5 million raised since its inception in 1992. In 2008, Gift for Life selected DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, one of the largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education programs in the U.S., as its sole charity partner. Since its founding in 1984, DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities to provide more than $40 million to hundreds of AIDS organizations nationwide. More information is available at www.giftforlife.org