Snacking on Philly cheesesteak sliders and sorbet, guests clamored around groups of tables at the Phoenix Art Museum, silently bidding on a multitude of bags.
The bidders were at the Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council annual fundraiser, “It’s In The Bag.” The fundraiser, held on Sept. 28, helped raise money for the museum by purchasing bags with myriad themes.
Popular bags included resort and spa packages, while sometimes the designer bag itself was enough.
As the night neared its end, Logan Browning, president of Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council, stood at the podium calling out the winning numbers for the prize of the evening, a Gucci bag.
About 250 guests waited eagerly, staring at their tickets that cost $20 apiece. One woman bought 20 for the drawing alone. The winner shrieked and headed to the podium to receive her prize as the crowd began to disperse back into small groups.
“I didn’t know anyone when I moved here,” Browning said. “I joined WoMAC and immediately felt welcome.”
Browning said she moved to Arizona after graduating from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York with a master’s in art business.
“It’s a wonderful way to meet people in the area,” Browning said. “It’s inclusive to all ages.”
There are a total of 12 groups that contribute to the museum with different funding purposes, said Tammy Stewart, the museum’s membership and visitor services manager. Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council is one of those 12.
“We wouldn’t be who we are today without these groups,” Stewart said.
Browning said that, having joined at 23, she was by far the youngest member of the group, but has since seen it become more diverse in age. She is now the youngest president the organization has ever had.
“People think I don’t know anything about art, but I’m one of the few people in the group with a career in the arts,” Browning said. The director of the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale, Browning said she focuses on the subject for work and for pleasure.
The idea for the arts council began in 2004 when one of its founding members, Nicole Stanton, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton’s wife, was approached about creating a women’s group equal to that of the long-running Men’s Art Council. Nicole Stanton is a former president of the group.
“There was an appetite for a group that supported both art and professional women,” Nicole Stanton said.
Much of the group’s focus outside of benefiting the museum is networking between members, who are often professional women working in Phoenix.
One of the art council’s recent events was a speed-networking night where women went from seat to seat in three-minute intervals and discussed their jobs.
“We’re really trying to bring more women together and step up the networking component,” Browning said.
With about 80 current members, Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council has grown four times in size since its start in 2005, Browning said. This year’s “It’s In The Bag” event brought in about 250 attendees compared with last year’s 220.
Women’s Metropolitan Arts Council is only able to have one large fundraising event a year due to the amount of members in the group, Browning said. She said smaller fundraising events may be in the works for the coming year, but first membership needs to grow.
“I would love to see us grow in our membership,” Browning said. “Both with young business women and more seasoned professionals.”
The group held a membership drive Oct. 16, which included a mixer, food and drinks, and a tour of the museum.
Members of the art council are required to pay a $75 fee to become a member of the museum and must help contribute either financially or gather donations for the “It’s In The Bag” event, Browning said.
“WoMAC helps with our general operating costs, like paying the electric bill or conservation of a specific piece of art,” Stewart said. “We rely on these donations, because the admission price people pay simply doesn’t cover the museum’s daily costs.”
During its nine-year run, the group has contributed roughly $75,000 to the museum and, after this year, that number is expected to jump to $100,000, Stewart said.
“We could always raise more money,” Browning said. “But we’ve brought in funding that wasn’t there before, and at the end of the day, that is our ultimate goal.”
Contact the reporter at Lauren.Maxwell@asu.edu
