Carter Center to Host Online Auction and Broadcast

Browse 2020 Auction Catalog

ATLANTA (Aug. 20, 2020) — The Carter Center’s marquee annual fundraiser is going virtual this year, giving everyone the opportunity to gather online for a celebration that will include special messages from President and Mrs. Carter, up-close-and-personal looks at some of the Center’s programs, and the chance to bid on priceless artwork and memorabilia.

The 2020 Carter Center Weekend is actually two events in one – a four-day online auction that begins on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and a live show at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29.

“Carter Center Weekend has been a favorite event of both donors and staff for more than a decade,” said Jason Carter, chairman of The Carter Center Board of Trustees and co-host of Saturday’s show alongside Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander. “COVID-19 makes it impossible for us to see each other in person this year – but on the bright side, the fact that we’re doing this virtually means we can invite the entire world to be part of it.”

Saturday’s broadcast will feature messages from Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart, and Hank and Billye Aaron, among others; a town hall meeting with Jason Carter and Paige Alexander; and staff discussions about Guinea worm eradication and election observation.

“This will be my first Carter Center Weekend event,” Alexander said. “I’m really looking forward to spending time online with some of our most devoted supporters and sharing details about what the Center has been able to accomplish during these challenging times.”

As in years past, the auction’s highlight is an original oil painting by President Carter. The winning bidder can choose from one of three – one featuring a branch of mountain laurel, one featuring two Northern Cardinals, and one featuring Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.  

Other notable auction items include:

• A vintage Remington typewriter from Tom Hanks’ personal typewriter collection.
• A photo of President Carter with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, signed by all three.
• A collection of Beatles memorabilia featuring a framed copy of “Help!” signed by Ringo Starr and a block of wood from the church where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met.
• A case of Presidential Reserve Rum bearing President Carter’s signature made at the Richland Rum Distillery in Richland, Georgia.
• A collection of Willie Nelson memorabilia that includes a signed guitar and a signed picture of Nelson and Mrs. Carter on stage.
• A handmade bowl that wood turner Matt Moulthrop made from a bulletwood tree that spent years submerged in the Panama Canal.
• A painting of monarch butterflies titled “Migration,” by artist Sherri Richards.
• A silkscreen by legendary Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl featuring his drawing of the throne he sat in on stage after he broke his leg on tour.
• A Damascus Bowie knife with a railroad spike handle hand forged by artist Jeremiah “Jeremy” Cohn.

Bidding for these and 60 other items opens on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and runs through the evening of Saturday, Aug. 29. Go to cartercenter.org/cartercenterweekend to learn more about the auction and the broadcast, which will stream live on cartercenter.org and the Carter Center’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Note: Auction item photos available upon request. Learn more about how to participate in these events here. 

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Contact: Soyia Ellison, [email protected]  

The Carter Center
Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.