NEPA Scene Staff

F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre holds online fundraising auction with NEPA photographers June 30-July 2

F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre holds online fundraising auction with NEPA photographers June 30-July 2
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From a press release:

Today, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts announced an online photo auction of prints taken by local photographers and shot at the historic downtown Wilkes-Barre venue.

The auction will take place on the Kirby Center Facebook page on Tuesday, June 30 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, July 2 at 8 p.m. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be split between the photographers and the Kirby Center.

The auction will feature photos from big-name artists who have visited the F.M. Kirby Center, such as Jason Isbell, Alice Cooper, Greta Van Fleet, and more, as well as shots of the building itself. The photos have been taken by Northeastern Pennsylvania photographers such as Brittany Boote, Scott Kucharski, and Jerry Hylan, including some photos taken for NEPA Scene.

The silent auction will take place in a Facebook event page on the Kirby Center page. The photos up for auction will be available to see there this weekend, and bidding will begin on Tuesday, June 30.

“Live entertainment has a magical air surrounding it,” said Artistic Director Anne Rodella, “a moment in time that you experience only with the people at the event. Wilkes-Barre and the F.M. Kirby Center are lucky to be surrounded by talented photographers who capture that magical feeling in pictures. Over the years, those photographers have become our friends. We are thrilled to work on this project and support our friends who have long supported us.”

As an independent performing arts venue that has been closed since March, the F.M. Kirby Center is one of nearly 2,000 members of the National Independent Venue Association, formed at the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown; other local members include Stage West in Scranton and State College, the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, and ArtsQuest’s Musikfest Cafe and Levitt Pavilion at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem, as well as festivals like the Briggs Farm Blues Festival and Musikfest. When surveyed, 90 percent of NIVA members said they will be forced to shutter forever if the shutdown lasts six months or longer and there’s no federal support.

Read NIVA’s facts on the industry and proposal to save independent music venues here and support legislation by filling out a short form at saveourstages.com.

See more photos of Jason Isbell’s 2019 acoustic performance at the Kirby Center here and watch Episode 132 of the NEPA Scene Podcast, a coronavirus shutdown panel discussion recorded at the onset of the pandemic in the area that includes Anne Rodella, Wilkes-Barre singer/songwriter Dustin Douglas, and Scranton Fringe Festival Executive Director Conor Kelly O’Brien, below:

Photo of Jason Isbell by Scott Kucharski Photography/NEPA Scene