More than 90 members of the Cranbury community turned out for an art auction hosted by the Cranbury Library Foundation that raised $12,000 to build the new public library.
The majority of items auctioned were original artwork by long-time Cranbury resident, Don Jo Swanagan. His wife, Virginia, donated the artwork to the foundation.
Their daughter, Kirstie Venanzi, library board president, said, “My father always believed in giving back to the community. The auction of his artwork seemed like a very personal way for our family to do just that.”
Several guest auctioneers highlighted the background of the scenes depicted in the artwork, which featured Cranbury landmarks and paintings of the Jersey Shore.
Guest auctioneers included Roy Reinhardt, JoD Andrews, Lisa Beach, Dave Cook, Susan Goetz, Glenn Johnson, Andre Moutenot and Pat Demers.
Two photographs of Cranbury taken by resident David Nissen and a jacket handmade by Janice Altieri were also auctioned. Several silent auction items, many donated by Cranbury businesses, were also available.
“It was a wonderful evening. The people who attended certainly had a love of Cranbury and were happy to support the campaign for a new library,” Cranbury Public Library Director Marilynn Mullen said.
The library foundation would like to thank Kathy Morolda of Cranbury Station Gallery for donating her time and expertise to preside over the evening and running the auction.
The capital campaign for the new library has raised more than $2 million of its $3.2 million goal thanks to the generosity of the Cranbury community and the tireless efforts of the Library Foundation Capital Campaign Committee members.
For more information about the capital campaign, visit www.CranburyLibraryFoundation.org or contact Marilynn Mullen at 609-655-0555.
