Art gala, auction to support ECU School of Art and Design scholarships, programs
Artwork from the collection of Benjamin Franklin Keaton Jr. and Wallace Randolph “Ranny” Umberger Jr. will be auctioned and sold at ECU on Feb. 15. A preview of the items starts Jan. 31. (Contributed photo)
The East Carolina University Friends of the School of Art and Design will present the Keaton and Umberger Gala Art Auction and Sale of fine art, crafts and decorative pieces on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 6-9 p.m. in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery. Doors open at 5 p.m. for Friends of the School of Art and Design.
The sale will feature artwork from the collection of the late Benjamin Franklin Keaton Jr. ’57 ’61 and the late Wallace Randolph “Ranny” Umberger Jr.
The evening will include an auction, sale, hors d’oeuvres and beverages from Greenville establishments.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased in advance at https://art.ecu.edu/keaton/ or on site the evening of Feb. 15.
All proceeds from the event will support scholarships and programs at the ECU School of Art and Design.
A free preview of the collection will be offered Jan. 31-Feb. 14 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Gray Gallery.
Paintings from landscapes to abstracts, prints, coastal-themed artwork, sculptures, ceramics, glass, quilts, Native American artwork and several original paintings by Umberger will be sold. Also included are artwork by Robert Indiana, Émile Louis Picault and Arlene De La Hayes, prints by Edward Hopper and paintings by ECU School of Art and Design alumnus Bob Rankin (’70), and indigenous art including Zuni fetishes.
Most items will be priced, some will be sold through a silent auction, and select pieces will be auctioned live. Artwork will be sold only during the gala.
For more than 50 years, Keaton and Umberger were supporters of artistic expression in a variety of mediums. Keaton was the first graduate student to receive a Master of Arts in music from ECU, and he later became a member of ECU’s College of Fine Arts and Communication Advancement Council.
In 1998, Keaton and Umberger founded Long Leaf Opera, which for decades was one of only two opera companies in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Individuals requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the Department for Disability Support at least 48 hours before the event at 252-737-1016 (voice/TTY).
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Contact: Kate Bukoski, artdesign@ecu.edu, 252-328-6665