The Friendship Heart Gallery will hold its 19th annual art auction, "Leave Your Mark," virtually through the online platform ClickBid. The auction will be available from Thursday, March 17, at 4 p.m. to Thursday, March 24, at 8 p.m., but https://friendshipart.net/artauction/ is open for registration and art piece preview.

Auction kickoffs will take place on First Friday, March 4, at 5 p.m. at the Lancaster city gallery location, 118 N. Water St., and on Second Friday, March 11, at 5 p.m. at the Bloomfield Village Gallery, 235 Bloomfield Drive, Suite 111. Both receptions will feature light refreshments, a meet-and-greet with Heart Artists, and the opportunity to view some of the artwork that will be up for bids in the auction.

A paintbrush pull will be featured again this year. For a fee per numbered paintbrush, with a discount for a bundle of six, attendees will be entered in a drawing for a Friendship Heart Gallery prize pack. The prize pack includes items from the Primitives by Kathy Collaborative Collection, such as home decor, a throw blanket, original jewelry handcrafted by the Heart Artists, and notecard bundles. The prize pack also includes a gift certificate for a framed original painting from the Friendship Heart Gallery. The winning paintbrush will be pulled at the conclusion of the auction.

"Fund-a-Need" opportunities will be available to support the new art studio slated to open in early March behind Friendship Community's main office on Oregon Road. Donors may give money toward drafting tables to help with multitasking, supplies to create art kits for the artists, and a professional, portable drying rack.

Those who register to bid and provide both a phone number and an email address will be notified when they are outbid; auction participants may also provide credit card information up front for a faster checkout experience. The aforementioned website will be updated as new pieces become available.

Friendship Heart Studio is a day program that celebrates personalities and talents through free expression and collaboration. The program's 50 artists work with professionals and volunteers to create masterpieces while developing a sense of purpose, value, and freedom. The studio's vision is expressing capabilities by promoting artistic skills and self-expression through various techniques while utilizing both traditional and unconventional media.

Friendship Community is a faith-based organization cultivating capabilities of individuals with intellectual disability and autism in Lancaster and Lebanon counties since 1972.

For more details about the auction, contact Calista White at 717-656-2466 or cwhite@friendshipcommunity.net or visit the aforementioned website. Readers may also follow Friendship Community on Facebook and Instagram.