Kin Schilling was inspired by Sue Callihan’s desire to use her talents as a painter to help the Peterborough Food Pantry. And she wanted to do something similar.
So the Hancock resident and artist has put together a similar art auction fundraiser to benefit the Peterborough Community Center Garden.
“I was blown away when she did that,” Schilling said. “I love the fact that she did that and wanted to do it too.”
Callihan is Schilling’s art teacher and following the lead of her artistic mentor made all the sense in the world. And choosing the community garden was a simple decision, considering until this year it was tended to by the Cornucopia Project, the organization based in Peterborough that Schilling started in 2006 at a small garden plot near her Hancock Home.
Schilling figured that her auction could help in two ways. The money generated by the auction will go toward new soil and repairs for the old garden beds at the Peterborough Community Center, where the Peterborough Food Pantry is housed. And since the community garden grows food for the Peterborough Food Pantry to give out to needy individuals and families in ConVal, Jaffrey-Rindge and Mascenic school district towns, any improvements to the operation will only help with what the pantry can provide.
“The outcome of the community garden will go to the food pantry,” Schilling said.
The painting, entitled “Tulip”, came from a picture of a cow at Overlook Farm in Peterborough.
“It just looked like a Tulip to me,” Schilling said.
The auction begins today and the bidding started at $150. The goal is to bring in more than that considering the cause it’s going to. She doesn’t expect to raise the $1,250 that Callihan’s painting did for the Peterborough Food Pantry, although it would be nice.
Schilling is hosting the auction on Instagram and the bidding will be ongoing until 5 p.m. on Earth Day (April 22).
Callihan had hoped to get $600 for her painting, a loose interpretation of Fremont Field Conservation Land in Peterborough, but when the bidding came to a close on April 10, the highest offer came in at $1,250 from an anonymous donor.
Dan Thibeault also ran an art auction to benefit the Peterborough Food Pantry and brought in $375 for his painting of Mount Monadnock.
And Shilling hopes this is just the beginning.
“This is becoming a real wonderful happening,” Schilling said.