Charity Auction and Banquet Illuminates the Future
On 19th September, Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery South Island held a Charity Art Auction Banquet at Fo Guang Shan South Island. Over 100 guests attended the function, including the President of Christchurch Lion Club, Ms. Yin Ma and her husband, Korean Egg Art Artist, Ms. Helena Kim, BLIA South Island Consultant Mr. Ron Wright, Advisor Mr. John Lai, BLIA South Island President Mr. Almeric Cheng and his wife, BLIA North Island President Ms. Dolly Tsai and collectible enthusiasts of the local Christchurch community. FGY Art Gallery had the pleasure of having Christchurch renowned auctioneer Mr. Lindsay Welch host the Auction.
The Banquet began with Mr. Ron Wright delivering a speech on behalf of the Art Gallery, explaining that Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery South Island and Fo Guang Shan South Island have played an important role in promoting arts and culture and organising mind-purifying activities. He also reminded everyone that the proceeds of the Auction and Banquet will go towards funding the operation of the Art Gallery and contributing to the Temple’s Children’s Welfare Fund.
As the host of the function, Venerable Abbess Manshin expressed her appreciation to all the guests who dug deep for the worthwhile cause. She said that Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery and Fo Guang Shan South Island is Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s gift to the local community. In a heaven-like country of New Zealand, Venerable Abbess hopes serve the community with prestigious artworks and culture, to achieve the aim of integrating Buddhism into arts.
There were over 20 main auction items open for bidding, including Yao Hong Ying’s embroidery works “Wang Zaojun”, “Offering Deity” and “The Kiss”, a piece of traditional Chinese painting by Professor Yen-Chiao Kuo, various metal Buddhist sculptures and a limited 40th edition Mini Cooper. There were also another 50 items which were available for silent bidding; with most of these items being Buddhism artworks. Several auction items were donated by Temple devotees while other items were artifacts which the Temple had accumulated over the years.
Throughout the eventful three-hour long auction process, the humorous auctioneer Mr. Lindsay conducted an interactive and professional auction. He kept everyone on their toes throughout the process, and navigated the auction in favour of high bids and impressive sale prices. BLIA North Island President Ms. Dolly Tsai eventually became the top bidder for the night, when she secured “Big Peony” by Ms. Yao Hong Ying with a solo bid. Ms. Tsai’s generosity and kindness received everyone’s applause, as the guests all knew that her bid was a great achievement for the auction.
Venerable Abbess Manshin expressed her appreciation for everyone’s support, explaining that with everyone’s contribution, art may become one of the main modes of propagating Buddhism. At the conclusion of the Auction, Venerable Abbess presented all the guests with a pair of cups with Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s calligraphy printed on them. The Charity Auction and Banquet was a special occasion for many, as it was a chance to reach out and contribute to a worthwhile cause in a warm and united environment everyone’s heart was at one.