Chairs, chairs everywhere

Kids on the Block auction finds a new seat at Loveless

Published On: May 12, 2010

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The Loveless Barn was wall-to-wall with chairs, but nobody was sitting at Chair-ish the Kids, the annual fundraiser for Kids on the Block and STARS (Students Taking a Right Stand). With more than a hundred chairs and chair-themed items in the silent and live auctions, this is an event that invites guests to get out of their seats and cruise the creativity.

In the 14 years since Kids debuted this auction of one-of-a-kind handcrafted chairs, the event has grown from a quirky little get-together at the University Club into a rite of spring for both the party circuit and the art crowd. Just look around Nashville, from well-appointed houses to colorful kid-friendly pediatricians’ offices, and you’ll recognize the cheery chairs that volunteer artists donate every year.

Torrential rains with a side of hail couldn’t keep the crowd away from the Kids, and the grown-ups were bidding high on items such as a concrete-and-glass mosaic chair by Sherri Warner Hunter and a Crayola-studded sculpture by Rymer Gallery curator Herb Williams. Circling the Barn were treasures of every sort, including artworks by Edie Maney and Streater Spencer and creations by bright young things from Nashville School of the Arts, Lockeland Design Center, Harpeth Hall, Whites Creek High School, Hillsboro High School, Pearl Cohn and Father Ryan.

The Kids translate “chair” loosely, and the sit-able inventory ranged from porch swings to Norm Hein’s high chair, which won Best in Show. That kind of diversity could just as easily be the theme of one of Kids on the Block’s performances, which use Bunraku puppetry to discuss tough topics with students, from bullying and child abuse to autism and obesity. Again this year, the Kids put on a puppet show with a blend of humor and seriousness that never fails to entertain and inspire. Some guests were moved to give a standing ovation, while others—the highest bidders, that is—were inspired to take a seat. CF

—photographs by Susan Adcock