Friendship Circle Art Auction Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion

The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin held an art auction on March 6 celebrating local artists and artists with disabilities.

Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Lori Kornbloom was in attendance, showing support for the community as a mother of a child with special needs. Kornbloom’s son, who has nonverbal autism, was one of the first adult participants in the Friendship Circle. “An idea opened up that people with special needs were a combination of their assets and what they can bring to their community” Kornbloom said. Before the organization opened, she recalled how difficult it was to create opportunities for her son to feel like he belonged. 

The event celebrated the work that the Friendship Circle puts into helping out their participants, shining a light on how important their mission is.  “The idea is that our family, and the families like us, are accepted and our children are not seen for what they lack, but what they have”, Kornbloom shared before the bidding process, “Everyone contributes to the society we live in.”
The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin opened in 2017, but has already created a huge impact on their community. Owners Levi and Leah Stein hold the auction annually as a way to fundraise and appreciate the art that the participants create, however, this year was the first time it was held in a few years due to COVID-19. “It is important to raise awareness and give a place for artists with disabilities to sell the art that they put their whole heart into,” Levi said.

Before the bidding, Leah shared stories about special moments that show how important the organization is for the disabled community. A few weeks ago, she went on to explain, there was a birthday party held in the art studio. When nobody who was invited showed up, teen volunteers dropped whatever they were doing to come and celebrate the birthday girl. “It’s moments like these that prove just how important it is to implement a place that creates such a welcoming community”, Leah said. The program then went to show a video that featured a member of the Friendship Circle working at the cafe to gain job skills, which is where most participants start for experience before they apply to places outside of the nonprofit.

The event, Art4Friendship, featured a group of around ten diverse artists ranging from high school students to adults who regularly volunteer or participate at the Friendship Circle. The nonprofit is a support center for children and adults with disabilities that offers job training skills, along with an open art studio and a successful cafe. Donations from the auction went to the nonprofit to keep the opportunities for the disabled community abundant and available.
Art4Friendship opened with an accordion player, hors’devours, and a picture slideshow of previous Friendship Circle events.

A bustling crowd filled in, admiring the unique pieces of art – small hand-drawn pieces, watercolor paintings and mixed media, some of which were created in the art studio. Audience members flowed in and out of the studio, stopping by the open-bar and stopping to study the art, placing bids on the ones they couldn’t take their eyes off of. Themes of the art ranged from nature, religion, pop-horror to abstract. Sweet hand-drawn pieces of the owners of the Friendship Circle were bought by the owners themselves to be hung up in the art studio. Most of the pieces were up for silent auction, while a few larger pieces were set off for live auction.
The live auction began with a few original pieces from the featured artists and went on to auction off an experience to create your own art for your house with assistance from an artist who regularly volunteers at the center.  The auctioneer then opened up to accept donations from $5,000 down to $1, with most members of the audience contributing what they could.

Around 100 people attended to view and bid on the art. The event raised $50,000 to support the continuation of the nonprofit’s efforts to be a supportive and accepting part of the community.

For more information about the Friendship Circle and their mission or how to get involved,  visit https://www.fcwi.org/