Design Nonprofit’s Auction Features Experiences — Not Stuff

If you’re looking for a new set of golf clubs, a painting to hang over the sofa, or a nice gift basket, the Van Alen Institute’s Auction of Art + Design Experiences probably isn’t the auction for you.

The online auction, which runs through April 27, features 25 experiences and adventures with luminaries in the world of architecture, art, and design.

Modern-art enthusiasts can bid on a pedicure with artist Diana Al-Hadid followed by a visit to her studio, where she will make a cast of the winner’s freshly pedicured foot to include in her next piece. For a price, architecture buffs can accompany Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Rafael Moneo on his daily walk around Madrid. Feeling creative? Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman will help one winning bidder construct a chandelier at her Brooklyn workshop.

“We all have too much,” says David van der Leer, executive director of Van Alen, a nonprofit that studies how design can improve people’s lives. “The question is, What do people really still want? What we heard more and more is that people are looking for experiences.”

New Relationships

Van Alen started the auction three years ago as part of an effort to increase the amount of money it raises from individuals and as a way to bolster the group’s ties to people who work in creative industries. The auction takes place in conjunction with the institute’s Spring Party fundraiser and last year accounted for about 15 percent of the benefit’s total take. (Mr. van der Leer declined to specify a dollar amount.)

The cost of the experiences is still within reach for many donors, says Mr. van der Leer. In 2015, a hot-tub roundtable on building design with architect Charles Renfro at his home on Fire Island went for $3,000, and the winning bid for a tattoo designed by artist Liam Gillick was $2,000.

While many bidders are already familiar with the institute, others are design fans drawn to the auction items. One bidder in particular stood out: a man the group didn’t know but who bought several items during the first two auctions. Van Alen contacted him to try to start a relationship. It turned out he owns a large restaurant group, and he now provides pro bono catering for some of the institute’s events.

Van Alen’s work is often serious. Current projects include research on how the built environment affects addiction and a design competition on how to reuse vacant lots in New Orleans. The playfulness of the auction experiences provides a wonderful contrast, says Mr. van der Leer: “We were looking for something that could connect people to us in a way that was lighthearted.”