CIAS holds holiday auction fundraiser tonight

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Therese Mulligan

Bill DuBois, professor emeritus and former administrative chair of RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, leads bidding at the 2011 holiday auction. This year’s event is at 5 p.m. Dec. 11 in the lobby of Gannett Hall.

A wide range of new and used photographic equipment and accessories will be auctioned off to the highest bidder during the annual School of Photographic Arts and Sciences holiday auction this evening. The auction will take place in the lobby of Gannett Hall beginning at 5 p.m.

For the first time in seven years, the RIT National Press Photographers Association chapter will host the annual fundraising event, which will be preceded by a reception for RIT photojournalism alumni inside the University Gallery at 4 p.m.

A tradition of the School for Photographic Arts and Sciences for 28 years, this year’s auction will feature photographic gear from RIT’s own Photo “Cage” as well as leading camera companies such as B&H Photo among others.

Half of the proceeds from this year’s auction will go to the Chris Hondros Fund, which supports and advances the work of photojournalists and raises awareness of the issues facing those reporting from conflict areas. Established in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated photojournalist who covered many of the world’s conflicts beginning in the late 1990s, the fund seeks to continue and preserve Hondros’ legacy of creating a visual history to bring shared human experiences into the public eye.

The remainder of the funds raised will go toward a group photography project organized by RIT’s NPPA chapter. The project will seek to explore the tension and differences between the American and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls, and may also include a visit to Love Canal. It will provide an opportunity for chapter members to expand their portfolios and learn to work together on a large photo project.

The RIT NPPA is a student-run professional organization aimed at building a network among the photojournalism students at RIT and carrying those connections into the photography field. Contact Maureen MacGregor, president, at mxm4937@rit.edu for information.