Michaelis School of Fine Art Student Fundraiser 2026

This year’s graduating class of the Michaelis School of Fine Art, UCT, will be hosting the annual silent auction fundraiser event. This auction, a longstanding tradition of the school, aids the costs of the large graduate show exhibition held at the end of the year, including a professionally produced catalogue, and funds the Materials Bursary which provides financial assistance for students unable to afford the art supplies they need to create their work. This fundraising effort enables the graduating class an opportunity to give back to the school, and to frame their work within a broader context of professional art practice. These fundraising efforts are important elements in the development of socially connected, resourceful young artists.

The auction will take place on the bidding platform, Bidpro, where prospective buyers place ‘silent’ anonymous bids on a bidding sheet, using a bidding number. The artwork is then sold to the highest bidder. This year, the bidding process will be set over three days, on 4th to 6th of September. Bidding will be open throughout the three-day window, until the event closes at midnight on the 6th September.

Contact details:

Catriona Towriss

[email protected]

+27 76 900 2068

Payment and Collection:

An invoice with payment details will be sent to the successful bidder within the week after the event. Please keep an eye out for this email.

Payment is due immediately upon receipt of the invoice, and artworks will not be released until payments have successfully cleared in the fundraising account. Please ensure timeous payment to allow for this before collecting work.

If we are not able to reach the winner of each bid after several attempts, or payment is not made within the allocated time, the second successful bidder after them will be considered the winner of that bid and will be contacted instead.

Payments to be made into the bank account detailed in invoice.

Collection of works after the auction will occur at Michaelis School of Fine Art, UCT in Gardens, Cape Town from 14th to 25th Sep 2026.

Any request to deliver work to areas outside of Cape Town can be done at the successful bidder's own expense. We are able to courier from Postnet to Postnet. Please alert the Silent Auction team upon receipt of your invoice.