Arts Council of the Valley announces an online auction of artworks from the collection of Dr. William and Mrs. Mary McMurray.
Auction items range from small to medium-size prints, watercolors, posters, and etchings to larger framed pieces in oil on canvas, collage, relief sculpture, and mixed media. Opening at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, the ACV Art Auction 2021 will run until 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13.
Online auction information is available at www.valleyarts.org/auction-2021.
In addition to viewing artwork online, interested bidders may see auction items in person at Smith House Galleries (311 S. Main St., Harrisonburg), Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (galleries closed Nov. 25-26). Additional viewings, by appointment, may be arranged by emailing [email protected].
Masks are required, with social distancing observed.
Dr. William McMurray and Mrs. Mary McMurray grew up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, respectively, and both graduated from Middlebury College with degrees in English. After their marriage they moved to Illinois, New Mexico, British Columbia, and Kentucky while Bill earned his graduate degrees and taught at several universities. They never forgot their New England roots and acquired several Massachusetts harbor scenes in the early years.
Their longtime interest in the art of the Southwest was shaped by living in New Mexico. After settling in Harrisonburg in 1965 they became great supporters of the (then) Madison College art faculty. They purchased works by four well-known James Madison University artists–Jerry Coulter, Ken Szmagaj, Crystal Theodore, and David Diller (the last two were department heads in the 1960s-70s) as well as graduates, such as Elisabeth T. Eggleston and W.M. Wayne Liskey. The McMurrays also collected paintings and prints by listed international artists from New York City, Chicago, London, Paris, and Vienna.
After Mary’s death in 2020, it was the family’s wish that their collection be donated to benefit artists and art in the Harrisonburg Community.
“We’re so appreciative of this generous donation by the McMurray family,” noted ACV Executive Director Jenny Burden. “Their gift is a wonderful legacy and provides a welcome opportunity for fundraising in a period when we’ve been unable to offer in-person donor events.”
“Proceeds from this online auction will support our work cultivating the arts and connecting communities in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area,” Burden added.
For more information on the ACV Art Auction 2021, visit www.valleyarts.org/auction-2021 or email [email protected].
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