(Above: The 171 prints available for purchase during the September “reverse auction” to benefit the Whiteaker Printmakers’ collective vary greatly in style, color, and subject matter. Shown here is Menorca, created by Eugene artist Heather Halpern, co-founder of the group.)

By Randi Bjornstad

You may have noticed already — here on Eugene Scene or on the Maude Kerns Art Center’s website at mkartcenter.org — that Whiteaker Printmakers, aka WhitPrint, is holding another “reverse auction” of 5×7-inch prints donated by artists throughout the U.S. and internationally.

The purpose of the print exchange is to raise money for the nonprofit organization that supports printmaking artists in the greater Eugene area with space and equipment for creating their art.

This year’s “reverse auction” features 171 small prints, and the premise is just the way it sounds — the prices start at $95 on the first day of the auction and go down by $3 per day for each print that hasn’t been sold, until the last day of the auction, when all remaining prints reach the rock-bottom price of $20.

All of the prints donated for this year’s auction can be seen in person at the Maude Kerns Art Center, starting on Sept. 9 (when prices already will have dropped to $83 for pieces that haven’t yet sold) and continuing through the end of the show on Sept. 30.

But the prints also can be viewed on the Whiteaker Printmakers website at whitprint.com beginning on Sept. 5 when the auction officially opens.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works:

  • The price of each unsold print goes down daily. Starting at $95 on the opening day, the price drops $3 every day, to end at $20. The deal gets better the longer you wait, but will the print you love still be available?
  • Auction prices are updated every morning between 6 and 10 a.m. Pacific  Daylight Time. (The exact time will vary; it’s a manual process driven by coffee.)
  • Sales are done online only.  If you’re local, you can view the prints in person in the Maude Kerns Art Center, September 9-30, at 1910 E. 15th Ave. in Eugene, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. But there’s  only one way to purchase them, and that’s online at whitprint.com.
  • Purchases will be shipped between Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, after the gallery show and auction close.
  • Whiteaker Printmakers will pay the shipping to U.S. addresses. Shipping outside the United States will add $17 to to the purchase price. If more than one print is going to the same address, the cost will be combined and refunds will be made to account for purchases made separately during the auction.
  • Local pickup is available by appointment. Choose this option at checkout, and you will be contacted after the auction ends.
  • There are no returns or exchanges. Purchases are much-appreciated donations to Whiteaker Printmakers and are final.
  • At checkout, prints already added to the cart will reflect the latest auction price; be sure to refresh the browser.
  • Note: Adding  a print to the online cart does not guarantee the purchase — if it is left in the cart another purchaser can buy it until the purchase is finalized. But you will receive a note as soon as you begin checkout if a print already has been purchased by another art aficionado.