Once upon a time

In 1991, the Dennys—Dick and Marg and Dallas and Margaret—went to the Napa Valley Wine Auction, staying with Ann Colgin and her husband Fred who had visited the Dennys in Canada the previous summer. Things went so well they repeated the visit in 1992. About this time Dick became chairman of the High Museum Board and Margaret observed how neat it would be to have a High Museum wine auction as a fundraiser. Nothing to it thought Dick, and in short order—actually about six months—he had seen Governor Zell Miller, and with his blessing, met with the Georgia Revenue Commissioner; solicited the backing of the major wine distributors; and with the help of Ann Colgin and Paula Kornell, chair of the 1992 Napa Auction, scheduled our initial Auction to coincide with the Napa vintners annual visit to Atlanta. There were other little contributing factors: Michael Davis and Ursula Hermacinski agreed to be our auctioneers; Woodie Wisebram signed on “part time” to hold things together; The Coca-Cola Company let us use their parking lot at Spring & 8th; our three founding co-chairs began work planning our events; and a host of Museum volunteers joined a workforce to make it all come together.

So on the last weekend in March 1993, we held our Friday night Gala and our Saturday Auction under a big tent across Spring Street from the Cheetah 3 and under a heavy rainstorm on Saturday our crowd had more fun than anyone had imagined possible. The crowd included about twenty Napa winemakers, two notable Central Coast characters—Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist—Ann Colgin and Fred, and a handful of other out-of-staters. And we auctioned a bunch of wine lots from individual collectors to go with those from wineries as well as a river trip in France on a barge called Le Papillon. The wineries and distributors were pleased, the Museum made more money than we’d dreamed, all our participants were excited, and we began immediately to do it again, and again, and again.

About the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction

Founded in 1993, the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is the largest fundraising event for the High Museum of Art. The Wine Auction is the top charity fundraising event in Atlanta, the fifth largest charity wine auction in the United States according to Wine Spectator and the number one charity wine auction benefiting the arts. The funds generated from the Auction, which amount to more than $19 million over the last 19 years, are a significant contribution to the Museum’s exhibitions and educational programming.

About the High Museum of Art

With its renowned collection of classic and contemporary art and award-winning architecture by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High Museum of Art has grown from its origins in a stately home on Peachtree Street to become the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. www.high.org