A 40-Year Retrospective of the Sun Valley Wine Auction
Since SVMoA’s founding in 1971, it has awarded 638 scholarships to students and 75 scholarships to teachers for a total of $1 million
In a year of many milestones, the Sun Valley Museum of Art’s 50th and the Wine Auction’s 40th, the timing for patrons, artists, students, and those who work within the arts, could not have foreseen a better moment to celebrate.
Since SVMoA’s founding in 1971, it has awarded 638 scholarships to students and 75 scholarships to teachers for a total of $1 million.
Since 2010, it has given 414 school tours and worked with 3,047 teachers—all this from a small but mighty arts nonprofit in the heart of Idaho.
“Despite the stress COVID-19 has wrought on educational organizations and artistic nonprofits across the country, SVMoA continues to serve the over 4,000 kids in Blaine County and empowers teachers in the Wood River Valley and beyond to use the arts as a core curriculum method,” says Development Director Peter Burke. “Most notably, as of April this year, SVMoA will have awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships to local high school students, college students, and educators to pursue the study of arts and humanities outside the Wood River Valley.”
In honor to their legacy to the Sun Valley Wine Auction, this year’s event chairs Cyril and Blakesley Chappellet of Chappellet Winery on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley, California, are at the helm of the Wine Auction celebrating its history from when Cyril’s mother, Molly Chappellet and Glenn Janss, who was a co-founder of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, decided to go forth with this event 40 years ago.
“We’re delighted to be part of the auction,” says Cyril. “With many new homeowners and a new influx of people into the community, especially in the past year, there is an opportunity to grow the next generation of supporters.”
With Paddle Raise Sponsor, Wells Fargo, who for 15-plus years has supported the Sun Valley Wine Auction with a matching gift, the opportunity to bid and bid often is one of the most exciting parts of the auction evening, bringing excitement and tears of joy for all who attend.
“Amid the continued uncertainty we all face, one thing remains clear; there would be no Sun Valley Wine Auction without our stalwart vintner partners, patrons, sponsors, and supporters who show up year after year to help us raise vital funds for arts education,” says Burke. “If you are able, we hope you will consider joining us this summer to celebrate this milestone in The Museum’s history and your part in that narrative.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sunvalleywineauction.org.
