The bidding was silent and furious at the HNAF poster auction.

Saturday, November 22nd was a banner night for the arts in Hamtramck. There was a packed house for the Ben Hall/Andrew Mehall artist talk at Popps Packing, as well as a lively crowd on hand at 9338 Campau for the poster auction benefiting the Hamtramck Neighborhood Art Festival. The evening also featured a reprisal of the performance that the Mafarka Ensemble turned in at the backyard/alley of 2688 Yemens during this year’s Art Festival.

Following the ensemble’s performance, the gallery was bursting with art lovers, music lovers and Hamtramck lovers.

The silent auction bidding on the 60 original poster variations by 60 of Detroit and Hamtramck’s best-loved artists was, in the words of 9338 curator Steve Panton, “slow and steady” throughout the night. There were works by 9338’s inaugural artist Saffell Gardener; contributors to the current three-man show at Public Pool, Alexander Buzzolini and Matthew Hunt; and a great number of the artists that make the HNAF such a fun and vibrant annual tradition.

Buzzolini (left) holds court with Hughes of Public Pool (right).

Overall, it was a great occasion to pick up an original work by one of your favorite local artists, with top prices snagged by the works of Kathleen Rashid, Jessica Frelinghuysen, and the final painting by Gilda Snowden before her unexpected and much-mourned passing earlier this fall. Both Steve Panton and Steve Hughes, co-founders and supporting gallerists to the HANF, were on hand for this event, all proceeds of which benefit the ever-widening scope of the 2015 HNAF. The accessibility of these works to emerging collectors directly supports one of 9338’s mission: providing an entry point into the sphere of art collecting for patrons on every financial level. Truly, a show with such narrow parameters—the starting point being the same text-based border with information on the 2014 HNAF—gives the eclectic visions and skills of the featured artists a chance to shine.

One of Gilda Snowden’s final works, one of many treasures up for bidding that evening.

Panton (second from right) and Kathleen Rashid (right) both had pieces in the auction, with Rashid’s work being one of the highest ticket items of the night.

If you’re kicking yourself for missing this all-access art event, fear not; the MOCAD’s wildly popular Monster Drawing Rally is returning for a third year of affordable, cut-throat art acquisition to benefit their 2015 programming. Stay tuned for more details on the event, which will be running evening-into-night at the MOCAD on Friday, December 12th. See you there!

Don’t miss this year’s Monster Drawing Rally!

9338 Campau: 9338 Jos Campau, Hamtramck; 9338campau.com