Judson Memorial Church
and Movement Research
present

YES WE CAN!
– a bathroom art auction and benefit party –

Friday, November 6, 2009 | 6:00 – 8:30pm
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South

The acclaimed Judson Memorial Church will dip into its historic archives for a benefit party and auction of works by noted artists, including Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Christo and Jean-Claude, and Yoko Ono, to raise much-needed funds to renovate the Church’s bathrooms.

The benefit (tickets only $20) will take place on Friday, November 6, from 6:00 to 8:30pm, at the Judson Memorial Church at 55 Washington Square South.

During the event, guests will enjoy ample free food and drink, as well as entertainment by surprise guest artists, while surveying the rare roster of Judson treasures featured in a live and silent auction. Items include art works by Rauschenberg, Oldenburg, Christo, and Ono, as well as photographs including the work of Peter Moore, photographic chronicler of the Judson arts scene.

Bidders will also find a wealth of goods and services, including a case of wine, dance classes at Mark Morris Dance Center, massage and physical therapy sessions, acrobatics training, triathlon training, a cheese tasting, and much more. (See longer list of auction items after the jump)

Proceeds from the Yes We Can benefit will help to address the church’s most pressing capital needs, namely the deteriorating condition of the restrooms.  Refurbishing these fundamental amenities is vital to ensuring a thriving future for the historic institution in the decades to come.

“The irony is not lost on us,” said current Judson Minister Donna Schaper. “To think that some of our treasures from the past are going towards the toilets demonstrates the critical needs we now face. The current condition of our public space challenges our ability to continue to present significant and provocative work, and to further our crucial social outreach.”

The Yes We Can benefit tales place Friday November 6, 2009 from 6pm – 8.30pm. Tickets to the event are $20, and can be purchased online at the Judson website at www.judson.org <http://www.judson.org or in cash at the door on the evening of the event. When bidding, checks are encouraged, but credit cards can be accommodated.

Selected Auction items from the Judson Archives:

1. “Shadow Play” by Robert Rauschenberg, 1967
large silkscreen, limited edition print, slight water damage
Estimated value: $4000 | Minimum bid: $500

2. Yoko Ono greeting cards (circa 1967)
Greeting cards art work by Yoko Ono, each one is signed by Ono
Framed: $100 | Unframed: $75

3. Original Judson Centennial screen print by Claes Oldenburg, signed, from a limited editon of 100, 1990
Value: $2000 | Minimum bid: $500

4. Poster of Judson Centennial print by Claes Oldenburg, 1990
Smaller version of same image as above. Includes graphic of Judson Memorial Church as it was the poster for the centennial
Value: $250 | Minimum bid: $75

5. Alison Knowles and Al Hansen silkscreen of one side of Claes Oldenburg’s ticket sheet for the Ray Gun Spex, 1960 (published in 1970 for the exhibition “Happening & Fluxus”)
Value: $350 | Minimum bid: $75

6. Valley Curtain by Christo and Jeanne Claude, 1972
Photo of one of Christo and Jeanne Claude’s earliest large-scale works. Signed by Christo and Jeanne Claude
Value: $500 | Minimum bid: $250

7. Peter Moore photograph of David Gordon in the Grand Union performance of Yvonne Rainer’s “Trio A with Flags” at Judson in 1970 (8×10)
Value: $500 | Minimum bid: $100

8. Peter Moore photograph of Lucinda Childs, Robert Morris, Robert Rauschenberg, Sally Gross, and Tony Holder in Yvonne Rainer’s “Parts of Some Sextets” at Judson 1965 (8×10)
Value: $500 | Minimum bid: $100

9. Peter Moore photograph of Yvonne Rainer’s “Room Service” 1963 (8×10)
Value: $500 | Minimum bid: $100

10. Mark Morris Dance Group Gift Pack
Includes a gift certificate for three adult dance classes, a DVD of The Hard Nut (Morris’s Nutcracker), a Mark Morris Dance Group school T-shirt, and an eco-friendly Mark Morris Dance Group bag
Value: $85 | Minimum Bid: $30

…..and much more