DARKROOM is the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago’s (MoCP) annual benefit auction and gala, which will be taking place entirely online. This year’s event, co-chaired by Joe Reinstein and Lincoln Schatz and will take place on Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 5:45-8:00 p.m., central time. The benefit auction is presented by Sotheby’s.

The virtual event with kick off with a pre-show DJ set entitled “Pre-Party Rare Groove 45RPM All Vinyl DJ Set” with Joe Shanahan, founder and owner of famed music venue Metro Chicago, Chicago’s independent music venue. He will be spinning 45s—in honor of the museum’s 45th anniversary year—remotely from The GMan Tavern in Wrigleyville.

Following the pre-show, attendees will enjoy the formal program, wherein they will gain access to exclusive content and engage virtually with MoCP staff, artists, fellow supporters, and surprise special guests during an interactive livestream. The evening will conclude with a virtual cocktail party hosted on Wonder.me, a platform where people can move freely between groups, join conversations, and enjoy an energizing and fluid evening of conversation, networking, and virtual socializing.

The benefit auction will open one week before the event itself on Sothebys.com. Photography enthusiasts will have the chance to bid on celebrated contemporary and historical artists, including work by Dawoud Bey, Tabitha Soren, Alfred Stieglitz, Edward J. Steichen, Pete Souza, Victoria Sambunaris, Sandro Miller, Brian Ulrich, and more. All proceeds raised at this event will support groundbreaking exhibitions, public programs, and community engagement efforts in the museum’s 2021-2022 season.

Auction Artists
Susan Aurinko, Dawoud Bey, Clarissa Bonet, Ken Burkhart, Elinor Carucci, Colors Portfolio, Peter Cochrane, Kelli Connell, Eileen Cowin, Barbara Crane, Binh Danh, Stephen Foster, Krista Franklin, Cameron Gainer, Oliver Godow, Allison Grant, Alice Hargrave, Eirik Johnson, Dave Jordano, Seunggu Kim, Michael Koerner, Jessica Labatte, Jin Lee, Joanne Leonard, Sandro Miller, Christian Patterson, Melissa Ann Pinney, Holly Roberts, Vicky Sambunaris, Anastasia Samoylova, Ross Sawyers, Lincoln Schatz, Christina Seely, Larry Snider, Tabitha Soren, Edra Soto, Pete Souza, Jovan C. Speller, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Brad Temkin, Bob Thall, Jan Tichy, Jerry Uelsmann, Brian Ulrich, Carmen Winant, Derrick Woods-Morrow, Xie Hongdong, and Ana Zibelnik

General admission to DARKROOM is completely free. VIP tickets start at $250 and go up to $1000, with benefits ranging from exclusive future VIP exhibition opening invitations to private behind-the-scenes museum tours. All contributions are tax-deductible. Visit mocp.org for more information.

About the MoCPThe Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography.  As an international hub, the MoCP generates ideas and provokes dialogue among students, artists and diverse communities through groundbreaking exhibitions and programming.

MoCP Sponsors The MoCP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The MoCP is supported by Columbia College Chicago, the MoCP Advisory Board, the Museum Council, individuals, and private and corporate foundations. The 2020-2021 exhibition season is sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Efroymson Family Fund, and the Philip and Edith Leonian Foundation.

Official Website

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Tags: Alfred Stieglitz, Alice Hargrave, Allison Grant, Ana Zibelnik, Anastasia Samoylova, Barbara Crane, Binh Danh, Bob Thall, Brad Temkin, Brian Ulrich, Cameron Gainer, Carmen Winant, Chicago, Christian Patterson, Christina Seely, Clarissa Bonet, Colors Portfolio, DARKROOM Virtual Benefit Auction, Dave Jordano, Dawoud Bey, Derrick Woods-Morrow, Edra Soto, Edward J. Steichen, Edward Steichen, Eileen Cowin, Eirik Johnson, Elinor Carucci, Holly Roberts, Jan Tichy, Jerry Uelsmann, Jessica Labatte, Jin Lee, Joanne Leonard, Jovan C. Speller, Kelli Connell, Ken Burkhart, Krista Franklin, Larry Snider, Lincoln Schatz, Loop, Melissa Ann Pinney, Michael Koerner, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Oliver Godow, Pete Souza, Peter Cochrane, Ross Sawyers, Sandro Miller, Seunggu Kim, Stephen Foster, Susan Aurinko, Tabitha Soren, Vicky Sambunaris, Victoria Sambunaris, Xie Hongdong