First Friday’s f-bomb riddled support system

Kristen Peterson

Staci Linklater and Jerry Misko auction off local art at a spring fundraiser for First Friday.

Friday, June 11, 2010 | 6:12 p.m.

Standing on a platform before a small crowd at Firefly, artist Jerry Misko hollers into the microphone: “Michael Wardle is a f*cking fixture Downtown. Look at this goddamn beautiful being who’s been kicking ass downtown and giving out free f*cking wine for years. This is a $4,500 painting.”

And there it was, the tone of the spring fundraiser for First Friday was summed up in one f-bomb riddled declaration of Downtown pride.

With Misko as auctioneer and Globe Salon’s Staci Linklater assisting, the live auction of mostly artwork helped bump the evening’s proceeds to over $10,000.

The fundraiser drew gallery owners, restaurant and bar owners, artists and First Friday patrons to the downtown tapas bar.

More than 75 artists and businesses (mostly located Downtown) donated items for auction and raffle. Firefly provide the space, cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres. Wardle’s painting brought in only $1,100 at auction, but auctions are often where collectors find steals on local art. The winning bid for a Marty Walsh painting from her “Monopoly Series” came in at $700. Miguel Rodriguez’ sculpture of Ganesh, a study for a larger sculpture headed to a hotel in Miami’s South Beach area, went for $450.

Cindy Funkhouser, who started First Friday and heads Whirlygig, a nonprofit that operates much of the monthly event, says the money raised will go toward Whirlygig’s contributions to three First Fridays, to which the city also contributes, but has cut funding. Moreover, she says she was pleased that the Downtown community at large and the Arts District came together for the fundraiser and is trying to stick together.