When Art Becomes the Event
A New Model for Nonprofit Fundraising
The gala had entered its third hour when Sarah noticed something unusual. Guests were not just admiring the layered paper relief on the stage or placing silent bids on auction sheets. They were gathering in small groups around the piece, phones out, watching something emerge on their screens while glancing back at the physical artwork with fresh recognition.
This was not passive appreciation. It was active creation, and it changed how people engaged with both the art and the cause.
The Experience
The model works like this: a one-of-one physical artwork is gifted to a nonprofit event as both a centerpiece and an auction item. The piece is already complete, a dimensional relief generated by custom code and fabricated from laser-cut materials, with the depth and craft presence that commands attention in a room full of competing stimuli.
But the singular physical work is only the beginning, the conversation starter.
Each attendee can also scan a QR code to step inside the generative system that created it. They configure colors and adjust parameters on their own device. The code runs again, producing a new digital edition from the same underlying algorithm, unique to their choices but part of the same family as the auction piece.
The event gets its own web page (example) where newly generated editions appear live throughout the evening. Guests see their own creation join a growing gallery alongside pieces made by other attendees. The page becomes a real-time monument to collective participation.
Making it real
Every guest who generates an edition receives a 24-hour window to purchase their digital edition as a physical work at a discounted rate. When they do, 25% of the proceeds flow directly to the nonprofit. The discount expires, but the memory and the connection to the cause remain.
As does the physical edition which can be converted by others in the future with the same 25% of proceeds going to the nonprofit.
This structure accomplishes three things that traditional silent auctions struggle with. First, it multiplies the number of people who leave the event with something tangible (or the option to acquire it). Second, it extends fundraising momentum beyond the evening itself through the 24-hour purchase window. Third, it aligns the my work as an artist work with the mission in a structural way, not as a one-time donation.
Why It Works for Tech-Forward Donors
This experience speaks directly to people who understand systems, who appreciate the elegance of code made visible, and who want their philanthropy to feel participatory rather than transactional. It offers proof of concept, literally: you generate the work yourself and see the algorithm respond to your input. That immediacy builds memories, trust, and connection in ways a traditional auction catalog cannot.
The format also respects time. Guests are not expected to sit through long appeals or wait for auction results. They engage on their own terms, at their own pace, and take home (or have the option to take home) something that reflects both their taste and their support for the mission.
See It In Action
Pretend that you at an event and you see a physical artwork up for auction. Next to it is the QR code below. Simply scan or tap on the QR code below to customize a new special edition just for you.
And if the event organizers chooses to perhaps the live event page is projected at the next to it or at the front of the room showing each new iteration as attendees shape them into being. Adding to the excitement and interactivity.
Get Involved
Learn more about my mission to support 26 worthy events with donated artworks and event experiences in 2026.
And when you’re ready, forward this to the right person at your favorite nonprofit so they can request a donated artwork for their next fundraising event.