Divine digs for birds return for breast cancer benefit

It’s the time of year birds might look forward to all year: a lucky few are about to get houses fit for high flying venture capitalists, or at least squawking rights in their flock. Many others will have to be content with gazing in the windows of homes where exotic houses for birds take their rightful place among collections of fine art.

Either way, the Birdhouse Auction to benefit the South Fork Breast Health Coalition (SFBHC) has it covered. The fourth annual birdhouse auction is coming home to roost a month earlier than usual. A free wine preview where silent bidding begins will be held this Saturday, September 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hampton Road Gallery in Southampton.

The main event will be held a week later, on Saturday, September 27, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Southampton Cultural Center. Tickets are $40. Festivities include a live auction, raffles, passed hors d’oeuvres, plenty of artists, and maybe a celebrity or two. Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger is the honorary chair of the event for the third year running.

Angela LaGreca, an award-winning comedian, singer, writer, actress and television producer, is part of the honorary committee. So are award-winning fashion designer Betsey Johnson and artist Dan Rizzie. East Hampton artist and independent curator Karyn Mannix, who created the birdhouse auction to benefit the SFBHC after successfully battling breast cancer, brings the birdhouse auction to life as the event coordinator. SFBHC was founded in 1994 by Susie Barry Roden, herself a breast cancer survivor.

Most of the movers and shakers of the event—as well as many of the contributing birdhouse creators—have been touched by breast cancer, either as victims themselves or through the struggle of someone close to them. The birdhouse auction was Ms. Mannix’s way of giving back to the people and the organization that helped her win her fight.

The auction helps raise awareness of SFBHC programs and funds for a community center to permanently house their services. These include Lend a Helping Hand, Neighbors Helping Neighbors and Ellen’s Well programs for those stricken with breast cancer, plus wellness and prevention programs to try to keep cancer at bay.

Last year’s Birdhouse Auction raised nearly $50,000 of the $120,000 total collected so far for the community center effort. Ms. Mannix and Ms. Roden, the director of SFBHC, hope this year’s auction will surpass last year’s effort, despite the turbulent economic times.

In their favor is the devotion and momentum the Birdhouse Auction has developed since its inception, the women said. Driving the excitement is the birdhouses themselves. The only limitation for contributors was that their contribution had to be a birdhouse. The form, shape, size and functionality are up for interpretation. Only 75 birdhouse makers are accepted each year, with hopefuls placed on a waiting list. This means every auction has a different lineup with a new influx of talent and artistic vision each year.

Because of the limited number of entries accepted, competitiveness and the desire to make a house that stands out from the others has pushed creativity until it has exploded. A few enthusiasts began making their birdhouses for this year’s auction as soon as last year’s concluded, Ms. Mannix said.

“There’s a competitiveness that makes people want to top what they made last year or to make the best birdhouse possible to raise the most money possible for the South Fork Breast Health Coalition,” said Ms. Mannix. “People are really into it—making the birdhouses and the cause of helping fight breast cancer. It’s touched almost everybody and this is a great way for people to help do something in their community.”

Watching submissions arrive is exciting, Ms. Roden said. “It’s like Christmas morning,” she said. “You never know what’s inside the package. They’re all so incredible. Every time one arrives, it creates a stir.”

This year’s submissions are especially eye-catching, the pair said. Artist Jeff Muhs made a free-standing sculpture that combines an abstract bird with high-tech robotics and the futuristic feel of the Jetsons. Actor Craig Banks went Hitchcock with his house, creating an urban building complete with Peep Show, a second-story Psychic office and a billboard advertising the Alfred Hitchcock horror classic, “The Birds.”

Michael Lownie has a black bird staging a jail break out of the vibrant blue remains of a birdhouse. Artist Bill Durham has a portly ballerina in a purple glittery tutu balancing atop a classic birdhouse that rests on a teal picket fence gone sideways. Ms. Mannix conjured Andy Warhol with a Campbell’s soup can birdhouse in pink, sporting a bright pink breast cancer ribbon.

There are birdhouses made for the outdoors and those that belong inside. Whimsy rules some; architectural lines define others. There are birdhouses that sparkle, conjure stories or please the eye with design elements.

“There’s something for everyone,” Ms. Mannix said. “The birdhouses are amazing.”

Bids have already been called in on some. This year is the first time phone bids are being accepted. Images of some of the birdhouses and a list of contributors can be found at http://southforkbreastbirdhouseauction.wordpress.com.

Regardless of whether a winning bid is placed, the auction is a fun way to spend an evening and help out a great cause, Ms. Roden said. The ticket price was kept low so that anyone who wants to attend can afford to do so. If someone can’t afford the entrance fee, SFBHC is happy to have another volunteer for the event. The heart of this benefit is a sincere desire to help others.

“The best part is knowing that we’ve helped and people are giving back and helping others who have gone through the same things,” Ms. Roden said. “It’s a beautiful circle of life.”

The fourth annual Birdhouse auction will include a wine reception at the Hampton Road Gallery, 36 Hampton Road in Southampton on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. where the silent bidding begins. Birdhouses will also be on view on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment by calling 329-2811. The Birdhouse Auction will be held Saturday, September 27, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling 726-8606 or visiting www.southforkbreast.com.