Take a seat on these 9 chairs for those who have been hit by COVID’s economic effects
Like many artists, Chris Sharp has seen his income disappear during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All my money dried up,” the Tacoma sign and mural painter said Friday. “It’s been a white-knuckle panic of how am I going to make my life OK.”
Sharp was able to get unemployment, and he was lucky enough to get a commission that will benefit those hit even harder than him during the coronavirus era.
Sharp and five other artists have painted, embellished and otherwise modified nine chairs that will be auctioned to help lessen the financial burden on those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Pierce County.
Proceeds from the JayRay CHAIRity Silent Auction will benefit vulnerable populations, said organizer and JayRay public relations firm owner Kacie Leacy.
“There’s a lot of people in the community who need our help, and this was one small way we could do that in the way we know how and also raise awareness for this important fund,” Leacy said.
Money raised will go to the Pierce County Connected: COVID-19 Emergency Fund, administered by the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation in partnership with United Way. It was created to assist Pierce County residents with shelter, food, essential child care and other necessities.
The online silent auction starts Tuesday and runs through June 1. Each chair will go to the highest bidder, but the chairs can all be bought instantly for $1,500 each, Leacy said. Starting bids are $250.
The chairs can be previewed at the JayRay website.
Tacoma-based JayRay is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020 and had planned to hold the auction in summer to benefit United Way.
“We decided we should do it now and make it about the biggest needs in our community right now, which is the pandemic,” Leacy said.
The firm commissioned Tacoma artists Angela Larsen, Brandi LaPointe, Katie Johnson, Saiyare Refaei, Tiffany Hammonds and Sharp to create the chairs.
Some of the artists painted the chairs with words and designs. LaPointe attached flowers and leaves.
Sharp’s idea was to create three identical but lived-in chairs, down to the paint drips and repair tape.
“I made them all the exact same chair,” Sharp said.
On Sharp’s fourth chair, a green one, he painted the word “read” which can be pronounced as “red.” The red chair is JayRay’s logo.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
