Timeraiser

For the art lovers, for the volunteers, for the event whores this is the event for you!!!
You really can’t have a bad night at the National Gallery surrounded by lovely art, businesses looking for volunteers, a live DJ, a stocked bar, appetizers and some generally awesome people.
Timeraiser is an annual event in Canada across multiple cities that bring together art lovers, volunteers, art galleries and local businesses. Artists and galleries donate art pieces to Timeraiser which in turn showcases them at the annual event were attendees can bid on these art pieces. Instead of bidding money, individuals bid volunteer hours on the pieces of art they like with a maximum amount of time they can volunteer. They can then choose one of the businesses registered with the event.
I can’t think of a better setting for something like this in Ottawa than the National Gallery. When you first walk in and up the ramp you see the amazing view out glass and nightfall of the Parliament buildings. Then you quickly notice all the dressed up people, pieces of art and tables that’s setup for businesses looking for volunteers. They give you plenty of time to walk around and see what pieces of art you like. I recommend grabbing a drink and dropping by each business that might align with your interests and listen to their pitch!
Once they announce that bidding begins for the artwork you should wait a little to bid on your pieces. It gives you an idea of what those pieces are worth to others and how much you might have to bid. One thing that wasn’t made clear to us early in the evening is that you can only bid once on a piece of art unless it reaches max bid. You don’t want to be in a situation were you can’t make a second bid so wait a little bit before you bid!
At the end of the night they announce the winners and hopefully you have a new piece of art for your house or a fantastic gift for someone in your life!
The purpose of Timeraiser is a definite 5 star! The event has been going for 5 years and it’s really far from polished as there were a lot of things in the night that can be improved. Hopefully they bridge the gap next year when I’m there :)