Baton Rouge Gallery hosted its annual fundraiser on Friday, Nov. 8 in the heart of City Park.
KINETICS, presented by Hancock Whitney, is an art auction that aims to increase visibility of the area’s artists and raise funds for the gallery’s programming. Last year’s fundraiser was a record-setting event. Local artist lovers show out every year, ready to place bids on dozens of original works by local artists.
Jason Andreasen has served as Baton Rouge Gallery’s president and CEO for over 15 years, and he spoke of how crucial KINETICS is to the gallery’s mission of making art accessible for all.
“This is our one annual fundraiser, and the event that helps the gallery remain free and open to the public,” Andreasen said. “There’s food and libations, but the real star of the night is the live art auction with over 30 pieces of work from some of the best artists in the state.”
Catering by Soji: Modern Asian, cocktails by Mestizo and a kaleidoscopic charcuterie board of fruits and pastries set the tone for the evening. A tent was set up outdoors for the auction itself, with a lively host and auctioneer keeping the audience laughing as each piece was auctioned off. Bidding began at $100 and made its way into the thousands.
“One thing that we strive for at Baton Rouge Gallery is accessibility,” Andreasen said. “We took a similar approach with the auction by starting the bidding at $100. Everybody gets a chance to jump in and be a part of the night.”
As the night went on and bidding became more competitive, attendees were able to see the vibrant personalities of the artists and art lovers, who make this community what it is. This fun event for a good cause manages to top itself each year, with more participants and donations than the year prior. 
Events such as the free first Wednesday exhibitions and movie screenings in the park are made possible through efforts such as this. With the physical location being an old pool house that was converted into a gallery in 1984, Baton Rouge Gallery is no stranger to resourcefulness and taking innovative approaches.
KINETICS was a huge success this year and revealed how much accessibility to art means to the people of Baton Rouge. Gwen Palagi serves as the developmental director of the gallery and wants people to continue paying its mission forward.
“This one night funds so much of the programming that we do throughout the year,” explained Palagi. “We cannot overstate its importance. It’s also just a fun night full of banter that supports our artists as well.”
Baton Rouge Gallery’s next free opening reception will be on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. and features the work of artists such as Rosemary Goodell and Mary Lee Eggart. To keep up with BRG and its program offerings, you can follow them on Instagram at @brgallery.