An online auction, filled with local treasures, will benefit Vashon Heritage Museum

The proceeds of the auction will help support all aspects of the museum, including its exhibits, educational programs, operating costs, archival work, and much more.

By Peter Woodbrook For Vashon Heritage Museum • June 8, 2022 1:30 am
(Courtesy Photo) Bob Katica and Walker Dodson install “Let’s Dance,” a wood carving by Brian Fisher that was included in Vashon Heritage Museum’s award-winning exhibition, “In and Out: Being LGBTQ on Vashon.” The artwork is included in the museum’s online auction, running June 11 to 25.
(Courtesy Photo) Bob Katica and Walker Dodson install “Let’s Dance,” a wood carving by Brian Fisher that was included in Vashon Heritage Museum’s award-winning exhibition, “In and Out: Being LGBTQ on Vashon.” The artwork is included in the museum’s online auction, running June 11 to 25.

The Vashon Heritage Museum is set to launch, “BID + BUY,” an online auction fundraiser, which will run June 11 to 25.

To kick off the auction, the Museum will host a preview event, from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, during which visitors can see many of the items that will be available for bidding.

The proceeds of “BID + BUY” will help support all aspects of the museum, including its exhibits, educational programs, operating costs, archival work, and much more.

“We are asking our Vashon community for help with what is the Museum’s most important fundraiser of the year,” said Vashon Heritage Museum Executive Director Elsa Croonquist.

Croonquist added that the community had responded to the museum’s call for auction items with “an immediate outpouring” of items now up for bid.

Many of the items in the auction come from local organizations and individuals, reflecting the talents and generosity of many in the Vashon community, she said.

Items run from gift certificates to local establishments such as Gravy, Vashon Bikes, and Little Bird Gardens, to experiences including a guided geology beach walk from Vashon Union of Geologists Steve Bergman and Tom DeVries.

Like many organizations throughout the area, the Heritage Museum was hit hard by the pandemic. However, since tentatively opening its doors again last fall, visitors have flocked to brand new exhibits, like “Natural Wonder: An Island Shaped by Water,” created in partnership with the Vashon Nature Center, “Vashon Birds: Seen and Heard Up Close,”created in partnership with Vashon Audubon, and most recently, “Vashon Pottery of the 1970s and 1980s,” part of a month-long celebration of Vashon’s clay community alongside Vashon Center for the Arts and Mukai Farm & Garden.

“Our mission is to tell the stories of Vashon, from the First Island People to the stories of how history is reflected in our life today,” said Croonquist. “The auction and all of the items tell the story of the amazing talents of many members of the community. There will be something available for everyone.”

Find out more about the auction, visit vashonheritagemuseum.org.

BID + BUY is sponsored by Cyrus and Liz Anderson, Puget Sound Energy, Our Cooperative Credit Union, and 4 Culture. More information can be found at www.vashonheritagemuseum.org/auction.