Art for Animals nets nearly $7,000

The 10th annual Art for Animals silent auction to benefit the Animal Welfare Alliance netted $6,800 after a two-week bidding period, online only due to COVID-19.

The auction of original artwork had been set for April but was postponed until July. It was also held entirely online for the first time.

“We owe a big thank-you to the sponsors, the artists and all the bidders,” AWA president Marge Van Praag of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, said in a news release. “We had 89 wonderful pieces of donated art; primary sponsor Barbara Pelton and her crew at Artfully Framed did their usual great job of framing all the pieces. And the generous bidders are netting us more than $6,800!”

Laura Clark's painting of a cat peeking from behind a paper sack got the highest bid at a recent Animal Welfare Alliance benefit auction, selling for $220.Submitted

Bids came from as far away as Florida and Minnesota. Poplar Bluff artist Laura Clark won the $100 Tackett Award for getting the highest bid. Her painting of a cat peeking from behind a paper sack brought $220.

Five dogs also submitted paintings to the auction, with a paw-print painting by puppy Reka, owned by Linda Kush of Poplar Bluff, selling for $150.

Proceeds from the silent auction benefit Animal Welfare Alliance programs. AWA provides $50 vouchers for qualifying pet owners to help with spay/neuter costs and has spent more than $80,000 on that project since 2009. With Poplar Bluff’s animal control officers, AWA also helps provide vaccinations for puppies and kittens in the city’s shelter. The organization sets aside half of all income toward construction of a no-kill shelter to serve the area.