Recently, Herman Miller hosted an innovative silent art auction that brought together industry leaders from the design and architectural community, the real-estate development sector and the business community. A dozen original canvases were unveiled at a reception that was the culmination of a fundraising initiative set in motion almost a year ago.
Over the last six months of 2010, Herman Miller, in collaboration with FERDIE (FONDS D’ÉTUDES ET DE RECHERCHES EN DESIGN D’INTÉRIEUR DE L’EST), invited 11 prominent design and architectural firms to demonstrate their creative abilities in an artistic activity designed to encourage team spirit and the creative process. Supplied with painted brushes, acrylic paint, a 5-foot blank canvas, and a limited amount of time, each group had to pool their talents to create a work of art based on a randomly selected theme.
The goal of this activity was to create signature canvases that would eventually be auctioned off in order to raise money for FERDIE and other worthy causes chosen by the participating firms.
The silent auction raised a total of $7,425, with over half of the proceeds from the event going directly to FERDIE, and the balance distributed to causes such as Tel-jeunes; Camp Papillon de la Société pour les Enfants Handicapés du Québec; Fondation du Dr. Julien; Fondation de la CSDM pour l’École Pierre-Dupuy; Jeunesse, J’écoute; Association Québecoise du syndrome de la Tourette; Fondation Rêves d’Enfants, Société de la Sclérose Latérale Amyotrophique du Québec; Fondation de l’hôpital de Montréal pour enfants; Fondation du Cancer du Sein du Québec and Fondation André Dédé Fortin.
SID LEE Architecture was the recipient of the Pinceaux d’Or, awarded to the team whose artwork brought in the most money from the silent auction. Their striking canvas, inspired by the theme Contrast, went to the highest bidder, Guy Prévost of Devencore, for the sum of $1,050. Design and architectural firms that participated in the project included Ædifica, for. design planning; Gestion René Desjardins; ID+S Design Solutions; Kiva Design; lemay associés; MHAD (Moureaux Hauspy + Associés designers); SID LEE Architecture; Spatium design de l’environnement; Les Réalisations Conceptum International; and VAD (Vaillancourt Associés Designers). Herman Miller Workplace Resource also designed a canvas to be auctioned off.