Last week, the Advancement Office launched King’s Academy’s first Virtual Silent Auction. The auction, which closed on Monday, sold six artworks by King’s alumni and current students. Over the week, bids were “silently” cast through an online form that was open to bidders across the globe.

By the closing bid, all the artworks had been sold, with some generating fierce competition. Bidders were not only located in Jordan, but also in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. All of the proceeds from the auction went to the Student Scholarship Fund, which supports scholarships for King’s students from Jordan and around the world.

The six artworks consisted of three sculptures, two prints and one piece of embroidery. The artists are alumni from the Class of 2016 through students of the Class of 2022, and they prepared the auctioned artworks during their time at King’s.

Since King’s Academy’s founding, art has been a graduation requirement for every student. “Art plays a vital role in the development of the individual’s character and is a great reflection of one’s culture and creativity,” explains Chief Advancement Officer Rami Abi Jomaa. “Through this auction, we want to highlight the creativity of our students and alumni and at the same time support student scholarships.”

The response to the auction was resoundingly positive, with members of the community calling the initiative “brilliant,” “great news,” and “a creative idea.” One prospective parent who was touring the King’s campus the day after the auction launched had King’s in mind for one of their children but not the other, who is more interested in exploring art. Hearing about the virtual auction, the parent and student were happily surprised to learn about the emphasis King’s places on its arts program, and they are now looking at King’s in a new light.

While the Virtual Silent Auction was launched in response to the constraints of the global pandemic, Abi Jomaa aims to make it an annual event, perhaps with in-person bidding once conditions permit.

Click here to see the artworks that were sold.